2019 NJCAA DIII Cross Country National Coaches’ Ranking – Week 1
NEW ORLEANS – The first NJCAA Division III Cross Country National Team Rankings of the 2019 season were released on Wednesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
A number of programs are ready to make some noise as the season heads toward the 2019 NJCAA Division III Cross Country Championships on Saturday, November 2 in Westfield, Massachusetts.
NJCAA Division III — Men's Cross Country
This Week's National Top Five
1
St. Charles (Mo.) CC
St. Charles (Mo.) CC
2
Harper (Ill.)
Harper (Ill.)
3
Suffolk County (N.Y.) CC
Suffolk County (N.Y.) CC
4
Finger Lakes (N.Y.) CC
Finger Lakes (N.Y.) CC
5
Bergen (N.J.) CC
Bergen (N.J.) CC
Cross Country Polls & Rankings
It’s not often that a first-year program is ranked No. 1, but not every program can be like St. Charles (Mo.) CC. The Cougars recently competed at the UIS Prairie Star Invitational and finished fifth as a team behind a strong performance by Edwin Kipainoi. The freshman took 10th place overall in the meet and covered the 7K course in 23:19.3.
Harper College sits second to begin the season. The eight-time defending champion Hawks always prove to be a tough customer come November, but this is September and that’s still the case. Jacob Melgosa led Harper College to a strong showing at the NIU Huskie Classic this past weekend against a host of NCAA Division I programs.
A trio of programs that are excited to build upon past accomplishments round out the top-5: No.3 Suffolk (N.Y.) CC, No. 4 Finger Lakes (N.Y.) CC and No. 5 Bergen (N.J.) CC.
NJCAA Division III — Women's Cross Country
This Week's National Top Five
1
Harper (Ill.)
Harper (Ill.)
2
Suffolk County (N.Y.) CC
Suffolk County (N.Y.) CC
3
FIT (N.Y.)
FIT (N.Y.)
4
Lorain County (Ohio) CC
Lorain County (Ohio) CC
5
Westmoreland County
Westmoreland County
Cross Country Polls & Rankings
Harper College owns the top-ranked women’s team to begin the season. The three-time defending champion Hawks are looking to inch closer to Mohawk Valley (N.Y.)’s record for consecutive titles won when they ran off five in a row between 1994 and 1998. Harper College recently won the JUCO race at the Spartan Classic hosted by Aurora University thanks to an individual victory by Roxanne Temple.
Suffolk (N.Y.) sits second to begin the season. The Sharks, who last won a national title in 2015, have a strong roster in 2019 and proved that this past weekend at the Queensborough Invitational where they finished runner-up to NJCAA Division I Monroe College. Alexandra Smith finished third individually and was named National Athlete of the Week for her efforts.
The top-5 in Week 1 is rounded out by FIT (N.Y.), Lorain (Ohio) CC and Westmoreland (Pa.) CC.
