NIACC men ranked 6th in initial USTFCCCA poll

MASON CITY - The NIACC men's cross country team is ranked sixth in the first USTFCCCA NJCAA Division II poll with 79 points.

NIACC, the defending NJCAA Division II national champions, received four of the 13 first-place votes. The Trojans return five sophomores from last year's national title team, including two runners that were in the team's top seven at the national meet.

Melvin Kipkemboi returns to the Trojan lineup after claiming the NJCAA Division II individual national title in 2020. NIACC's Richard Marcoux also returns after placing 35th at last year's national meet.

Other returners for the Trojans are Maxwell Deeter, Bryden Juelsgaard and Caleb Sledd.

Heartland CC, which received eight first-place votes, is ranked No. 1 in the first USTFCCCA NJCAA Division II poll with 94 points. Daytona State College is ranked second with 89 points and Hawkeye CC and Grand Rapids CC are tied for third with 83 points.

Heartland CC placed fifth at last season's NJCAA Division II national meet. Daytona State College was fourth, Hawkeye CC was sixth and Grand Rapids CC was ninth.

Kipkemboi placed 14th out of 344 runners at the Augustana Twilight cross country meet last Friday night in the Trojans' first meet of the 2021 season. Kipkemboi covered the four-mile course in a time of 20 minutes, 13 seconds.

The Trojans placed 13th out of 31 teams with 412 points.

Marcoux was 109th (21:59), Christian Rodriguez was 117th (22:04), Peyton Seiler was 138th (22:20) and Pudens Kipkosgei was 153rd (22:37).

Also for the Trojans, Juelsgaard was 160th in 22:41 and Deeter was 325th in 26:34.

NIACC returns to action Sept. 24 at the University of Minnesota Roy Griak Invitational.

USTFCCCA NJCAA Division II men's cross country poll (Sept. 8, 2021)

1. Heartland CC; 2. Daytona State College; 3. Hawkeye CC; 3. Grand Rapids CC; 5. Cowley County CC; 6. NIACC; 7. Wallace State; 8. Mesa CC; 9. St. Clair CC; 10. Allen County CC; 11. Lake Sumter State College; 12. Southwestern Michigan College; 13. Tallahassee CC; 14. Pima CC; 15. Oakland CC; 15. Northwest Arkansas CC; 17. Moraine Valley CC; 18. Southeastern; 19. Metropolitian CC; 20. Marion Military Institute. 21. Jackson CC; 21. Walters State CC; 23. Kaskaskia College.