2024 NJCAA DII Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll – Preseason
NEW ORLEANS – Mesa (Ariz.) CC kicks off the year at No. 1 in the preseason edition of the 2024 NJCAA Division II Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll, which was released Wednesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
Mesa collected just two of the 12 available first-place votes but easily had the highest total of 222 points as the other recipients of first-place votes landed at No. 4 and No. 6.
The 2024 NJCAA Division II Cross Country Championships are set to take place at Pole Green Park in Richmond, Virginia on Saturday, November 9.
National Coaches’ Polls are presented by AthleticNET.
NJCAA Division II — Men's Cross Country
This Week's National Top Five
1
Mesa (Ariz.) CC
Mesa (Ariz.) CC
2
Cowley (Kan.)
Cowley (Kan.)
3
Paradise Valley (Ariz.) CC
Paradise Valley (Ariz.) CC
4
Daytona State (Fla.)
Daytona State (Fla.)
5
Lansing (Mich.) CC
Lansing (Mich.) CC
Cross Country Polls & Rankings
Mesa CC has three returners from the team that finished sixth last year, led by scorers Jorge Trujillo and Gabe Gonzales. The Thunderbirds’ top finisher in last weekend’s Lori Fitzgerald Memorial was Nick Valle, a transfer from Arizona Christian.
No. 2 Cowley (Kan.) was sixth last year after winning the 2021 national title. The Tigers return three runners led by Miquel Cruz, who was 16th in last year’s nationals.
Paradise Valley (Ariz.) CC is No. 3. The Pumas – national champions in 2022 – bring back two runners from the group that finished fourth last year, led by scorer Jackson Bland.
No. 4 is Daytona State (Fla.), which garnered four first-place votes in the poll. The Falcons finished third last year and return three runners – all scorers led by Joel Jean, who finished 12th individually.
Defending champion Lansing (Mich.) CC is No. 5. The Stars return two from last year, led by scorer Quaid Schmetz, but their top runner in last weekend’s Jeff Drenth Memorial was freshman Nate Carmody.
Here are the rest of the top-10 teams: No. 6 Heartland (Ill.) CC, No. 7 Des Moines Area (Iowa) CC, No. 8 Wallace State (Ala.) CC, No. 9 Marion Military Institute (Ala.) and No. 10 Southeastern (Iowa) CC. Heartland received the most first-place votes in the poll with six.
