KJCCC Teams Continue To Hold Down Rankings In Latest USTFCCCA NJCAA Cross Country Polls

USTFCCCA NJCAA D1 Men’s Release | USTFCCCA NJCAA D1 Women’s Release

USTFCCCA NJCAA D2 Men’s Release | USTFCCCA NJCAA D2 Women’s Release

NEW ORLEANS, La. – Despite movement and changes within the latest United States Track and Field Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) top 25 polls, the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference continues to have six men’s teams and eight women’s teams from either ranked or receiving votes in the October 2, 2024 poll.

Of the six men’s teams, five are ranked in the NJCAA Division 1 cross country poll including three inside the top 10 while the NJCAA Division 2 cross country poll has their lone representative from the KJCCC ranked inside the top 10. The women’s poll has six among the NJCAA Division 1 poll with three ranked inside the top 10 while the Cowley women are ranked, and the Allen women are receiving votes in the NJCAA Division 2 poll.

In the NJCAA Division 1 men’s cross country poll, Butler Community College holds steady for a second-straight poll by coming in as the highest-ranked KJCCC school with the number four ranking after earning 172 total points. Making a four-spot jump is Hutchinson after going from ninth up to fifth with 157 total points while seeing Garden City make an eight-spot jump (second-largest of any team in the poll) to move into the top 10 with the number 10 ranking (103 total points). Other teams from the KJCCC to be ranked in the NJCAA Division 1 men’s cross country poll include Fort Hays Tech Northwest holding their number 14 ranking from the previous poll with 63 total points while Colby is one spot back of the Broncbusters in 15th with 62 total points.  

The NJCAA Division 2 men’s cross country poll has  Cowley Community College continuing their run inside the top 10 by being ranked number seven in this week’s poll with 153 total points to sit just two points back of Des Moines Area Community College who is sixth with 155 points.

Three KJCCC teams are also inside the top 10 of the latest NJCAA Division 1 women’s cross country poll, led by number six ranked Hutchinson Community College as the Blue Dragons earned 153 points and made a one spot climb for their highest ranking of the year. Joining HCC inside the top 10 is number nine ranked Butler (108 points) as the Grizzlies moved up one spot to allow for Dodge City who is new to the top 10 this season after making a two-spot improvement from the previous poll and earned 96 total points. Following the Conquistadors number 13 ranked Cloud County (70 points) and 14th ranked Garden City (69 points) with Colby rounding out the group of KJCCC teams in the poll by coming in with the number 21 ranking this week after being unranked in the previous poll to be the only team to enter the rankings from the group of unranked teams two weeks ago.

As for the two representatives from the KJCCC in the women’s NJCAA Division 2 Cross Country poll, Cowley makes a massive 14-spot move up back into the top 10 to be ranked seventh this week and just five points outside of the top five after earning 170 total points while Allen County received the most votes of teams who are not ranked this week to sit just outside the top 25 poll.  

A relatively light weekend of action for KJCCC teams this week will see four schools compete in the Neosho County Invitational on Friday evening with Fort Hays Tech currently the lone team set to be the only team competing on Saturday by running in the Colorado College Ted Castenada Classic in Colorado Springs, CO.