2024 NJCAA DIII Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Ranking – Week 1
NEW ORLEANS – There’s a major change right at the top in the Week 1 edition of the 2024 NJCAA Division III Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Ranking, released Wednesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
The change is among familiar foes as Region 4 teams have resorted their 1-2-3 order.
National Coaches’ Rankings are presented by AthleticNET.
NJCAA Division III — Men's Cross Country
This Week's National Top Five
1
DuPage (Ill.)
DuPage (Ill.)
2
Harper (Ill.)
Harper (Ill.)
3
Joliet (Ill.) JC
Joliet (Ill.) JC
4
Kellogg (Mich.) CC
Kellogg (Mich.) CC
5
Mineral Area (Mo.)
Mineral Area (Mo.)
Cross Country Polls & Rankings
DuPage (Ill.) rises to No. 1 for the first time since 2022, the year they last won the national title. The Chaps return five from their national runner-up squad last year and are led by individual runner-up Kevin Diederich, the current M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week.
Defending champ Harper (Ill.) is now No. 2. The Hawks also return from last year and are led by Owen Whelan, who is the second-highest returning individual after last year’s seventh-place finish. He was last week’s M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week.
Steady at No. 3 is Joliet (Ill.) JC, which also returns four runners from last year, when the Wolves finished fourth at the NJCAA DIII Cross Country Championships. This year they are led by freshman Nathan Ciarlette, the younger brother of Andrew Ciarlette, who finished fifth at nationals last year.
Kellogg (Mich.) CC remains No. 4, matching a program-high. The Bruins are led by freshman Julian Borst, who has been the top DIII racer in both the Skippers Showcase and last weekend’s Raider Invitational.
Mineral Area (Mo.) continues at No. 5. The Cardinals return no one from last year’s third-place team and this year are led by freshman Anthony Tragesser, who won the Lyon College Invitational earlier this month.
Rounding out top-10 are No. 6 Lorain County (Ohio) CC, No. 7 RCSJ Gloucester (N.J.), No. 8 Brookdale (N.J.) CC, No. 9 Suffolk County (N.Y.) CC and No. 10 Onondaga (N.Y.) CC.
The season culminates on Saturday, November 9, when the 2024 NJCAA Division III Cross Country Championships will be held at Pole Green Park near Richmond, Virginia.
