Seven KJCCC Men's Teams, Seven KJCCC Women's Teams Featured In NJCAA Cross Country Week 1 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. – The United States Track and Field Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) has released the week one NJCAA cross country top 25 polls with seven men’s teams and seven women’s teams from the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference either ranked or receiving votes in the second poll of the year.

Of the seven men’s teams, six 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 five 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 tops all KJCCC schools by coming in ranked fourth with 168 total points with Colby (116 points) ranked eighth, and Hutchinson (109 points) ranked ninth. The number four ranking for Butler is a one-spot drop from their preseason ranking of third while Colby fell two spots to their new ranking of eighth and Hutchinson moving up one spot from 10th to ninth. Other teams from the KJCCC to be ranked in the NJCAA Division 1 men’s cross country poll include Fort Hays Tech Northwest making an eight-spot leap up to 14th with 68 total points while Garden City (18th, 32 points) and Cloud County (22nd, 13 points) are also ranked for a second-straight poll this season.

The NJCAA Division 2 men’s cross country poll has the second-highest ranked team from either the men or the women for the KJCCC with Cowley Community College ranked number six in this week’s poll after earning the number two preseason ranking with the Tigers earning 153 points and one first-place vote.

With five teams ranked or receiving votes in the NJCAA Division 1 women’s cross country poll, the conference is led by number seventh ranked Hutchinson Community College as the Blue Dragons earned 133 points to maintain their preseason top-10 ranking. Also ranked in the top 10 from the KJCCC is number nine ranked Cloud County (108 points) as the T-Birds make a two-spot jump and 10th ranked Butler (95 points) who is also up two spots from their preseason ranking while Dodge City is just on the outside of the top 10 with the number 12 ranking (82 points). Following the Conquistadors and making their way into the rankings for the first time this season is Garden City after receiving votes in the preseason poll to be ranked 15th in the week one poll.

Two representatives from the KJCCC are in the women’s NJCAA Division 2 Cross Country poll with Cowley ranked 21st in the latest poll with 35 points while being joined by Allen County who is receiving votes. The Tigers have competed just once this season at the Wichita State University JK Gold Classic while the Red Devils have already taken part in two meets over the first three weeks of the season.  

This coming weekend has two meets with conference schools competing as action will begin on Friday, September 20th with the Missouri Southern University Southern Stampede in Joplin, Missouri while the Greeno/Dirksen Invitational will take place on Saturday, September 21st and be co-hosted by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Nebraska Wesleyan University.