2022 NJCAA DII Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll – Week 2
NEW ORLEANS – The battle for No. 1 became competitive as three programs earned first-place votes in the Week 2 edition of the NJCAA Division II Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll, which was released on Wednesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
NJCAA Division II — Men's Cross Country
This Week's National Top Five
1
Lansing (Mich.) CC
Lansing (Mich.) CC
2
Heartland (Ill.) CC
Heartland (Ill.) CC
3
Mesa (Ariz.) CC
Mesa (Ariz.) CC
4
Cowley (Kan.)
Cowley (Kan.)
5
Paradise Valley (Ariz.) CC
Paradise Valley (Ariz.) CC
Cross Country Polls & Rankings
Lansing (Mich.) CC remains No. 1, collecting five of the 11 first-place votes. The Stars split their deep squad this past weekend to win their own Lansing Invitational and take fourth at the Oakland Raider Invitational. Lansing has raced five times thus far and had four different No. 1 runners, with Liam Elder earning the honor twice.
Moving up to No. 2 is Heartland (Ill.) CC, which received four first-place votes. The Hawks won their own Heartland Invitational with 20 points behind the 1-2 finish of Balin Doud and Briar Nevills.
Mesa (Ariz.) CC claimed the remaining two first-place votes and climbed up four positions to No. 3. The Thunderbirds hosted and won the Mesa Jamboree with 20 points, led by individual winner Yotuel Garcia, who has earned M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week honors earlier this year.
Reigning national champion Cowley (Kan.) dropped two rungs to No. 4. The Tigers were the leading JUCO squad among at the Gans Creek Classic, just ahead of NJCAA DI Iowa Western CC. Santiago Nunez has been Cowley’s top runner all season.
No. 5 is Paradise Valley (Ariz.) CC, down one place from the last poll. The Pumas were second to Mesa at the Mesa Jamboree, led by individual runner-up Gilbert Olivas.
Completing the top-10 are No. 6 Allen (Kan.) CC, No. 7 Daytona State (Fla.), No. 8 NorthWest Arkansas CC, No. 9 Wallace State (Ala.) CC and No. 10 Grand Rapids (Mich.) CC. For Daytona State, it was a jump up of 10 spots in the rankings.
The 2022 NJCAA Division II Cross Country Championships are set for Saturday, November 12, at Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee, Florida.
