2021 NJCAA DIII Women’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Ranking – Week 2

NEW ORLEANS – There was big news among the top powers in the Week 2 NJCAA Division III Women’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll, released Wednesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

Joliet (Ill.) JC earned a repeat No. 1 after an intrastate battle with previous No. 2 College of DuPage (Ill.), and Oxford (Ga.) is now on everyone’s radar after fielding a scoring team for the first time.

The 2021 NJCAA Division III Cross Country Championships are set for Saturday, November 13, at Council Farms in Milledgeville, Georgia.

NJCAA Division III — Women's Cross Country

This Week's National Top Five

1
Joliet (Ill.) JC

2
Oxford (Ga.)

3
DuPage (Ill.)

4
Georgia Military

5
Suffolk County (N.Y.) CC

Cross Country Polls & Rankings

NATIONAL RANKING

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Defending national champion Joliet (Ill.) JC finished third in the Heartland Invitational, eight points ahead of in-state rival and then-No. 2 DuPage. The Wolves are led by defending NJCAA Division III individual champion Tiffany Lehman.

Oxford (Ga.) enters the rankings for the first time since 2019 at its highest-ever position, No. 2. The Eagles ran with four individuals this year until the Alexander/Asics Invitational, when Julia Danko was finally able to run. Oxford finished 12^th among 28 predominantly non-JUCO teams. Danko was the highest-finishing JUCO individual in the race, earning National Athlete of the Week honors.

No. 3 College of DuPage (Ill.) moved down a spot after a close loss to Joliet at the Heartland Invitational. Freshman Lillian Buzani was the second-highest NJCAA Division III individual finisher in the race.

Georgia Military College, host of this year’s NJCAA Division III Championships, is down a spot from last week to No. 4. The Bulldogs were runner-up as the top JUCO team in the Willie Laster Invitational.

No. 5 is Suffolk County (N.Y.) CC. The Sharks were 13^th as the highest-finishing NJCAA Division III team among 28 predominantly non-JUCO programs in the NJIT Highlander Challenge. Suffolk won the 2019 NJCAA Division III team crown and has one returner from that squad in Yasmeen Araujo, who finished eighth individually.

Rounding out the top-10 are No. 6 Anne Arundel (Md.) CC, No. 7 Harper (Ill.), No. 8 Kellogg (Mich.) CC, No. 9 Hudson Valley (N.Y.) CC and No. 10 Camden County (N.J.).