2021 NJCAA DI Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll – Week 5
NEW ORLEANS – Only two programs didn't change places in the Pre-Championships edition of the NJCAA Division I Men's Cross Country National Coaches' Poll, which was released Wednesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
The biggest mainstay was right at the top as Iowa Central CC continued as the unanimous No. 1 selection for the fourth week in a row. Elsewhere, regional action from the past weekend shook things up as teams are ready to line up for the 2021 NJCAA Division I Cross Country Championships, which are set for Saturday, November 13 at Pole Green Park near Richmond, Virginia.
Iowa Central CC won the Region XI Championships with its usual recipe that started with a blistering 1-2 combination of freshman Aspel Kiprob and defending national champion Kelvin Bungei. The Tritons, who haven't lost to another JUCO team all year, will be seeking a repeat title at the NJCAA Division I Championships.
Colby (Kan.) CC moves back to No. 2 after an impressive victory in the Region VI Championships that featured the Nos. 2, 3 and 4 teams from the previous poll. Freshman Ricardo Barbosa leads the Trojans.
Jumping three spots to No. 3 is Iowa Western CC, which gave Iowa Central its closest battle of the season at the Region XI meet. The Reivers had a strong team effort led by freshman Nicholas Kiprotich, who finished a close third in a memorable individual race as the top three all broke the course record by over 15 seconds in running sub-24 for 8k.
New Mexico JC also leaped three positions, landing at No. 4. That's the highest for the T-Birds since opening the season at No. 1. NMJC had their best race of the season in winning the Region V Championships over five other ranked programs as freshman Evans Polotet was the individual runner-up.
No. 5 is Northwest Kansas Tech, down one spot. The Mavericks were runner-up in the top-loaded Region VI meet, which had former No. 2 Cloud County in third place. Vincent Nchogu, the current National Athlete of the Week, led the squad with his third individual win of the season.
Finishing out the top-10 are No. 6 El Paso (Texas) CC, No. 7 Cloud County (Kan.) CC, No. 8 Trinidad State (Colo.) JC, No. 9 College of Southern Idaho and No. 10 Central Arizona. Trinidad State moved up six places after winning the Region IX Championships.