By USTFCCCA Communications, USTFCCCA
October 1, 2025  
NEW ORLEANS – Only one team changed positions among the top-20 in the Week 2 edition of the 2025 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).
That lone exception was Iowa Western CC, which continues as No. 1.
The 2025 NJCAA Division I Cross Country Championships are scheduled for Saturday, November 8 at Lakeside Golf Course in Fort Dodge, Iowa.
National Coaches’ Polls are presented by AthleticNET.
NJCAA Division I — Men’s Cross Country
This Week’s National Top Five
1
Iowa Western CC
2
Hutchinson (Kan.) CC
3
Iowa Central CC
4
New Mexico JC
5
Central Arizona
Cross Country Polls & Rankings
Iowa Western CC
actually strengthened its hold at No. 1, now being a unanimous selection. Led
by the 1-2 individual finish of Barnabas Ndiwa and Geofrey Ronoh, the Reivers finished
fourth among 25 other teams that were all four-year programs in the Black
Championship race at the Gans Creek Classic. Ndiwa won the 8k in 23:42.1, 0.3
seconds ahead of Ronoh as the duo reversed their order from the earlier Platte
River Rumble Gold.
Moving
up two spots to No. 2 is Hutchinson
(Kan.) CC to match their program high from 2020. The Blue Dragons won the
team title at the Missouri Southern Stampede as their top-3 of Titus Kiprotich,
Cornelius Kogo and Esteban Ortega finished in the top-8. Kiprotich’s
performance as individual runner-up earned him last week’s M-F Athletic
National Athlete of the Week honors.
Iowa Central CC
drops a notch to No. 3. The Tritons haven’t fielded a full varsity squad since
their opening meet in putting three in the top-5 to win the Hawkeye
Invitational on a tiebreaker over host NCAA DI Iowa. The trio was led by
individual winner Chakib Cherkaoui Rhazouani with twin brothers Saad Rifi Loutfi
and Said Rifi Loutfi going 3-4.
Also
dropping down a spot is No. 4 New Mexico
JC, despite winning their own Dr. Steve McCleery Invitational. The T-Birds
were led by individual winner Mohammed Mrahi, whose 23:39.9 clocking put him No.
8 on the all-time Harry McAdams Park for 8k to earn M-F Athletic National
Athlete of the Week honors. He finished 18.3 seconds ahead of a previous NAOW
recipient, Amantle Modingwane of No. 9 Ranger (Texas), which this week’s biggest
riser in the poll.
Another
big mover is No. 5 Central Arizona,
up six places to match their highest showing since Week 1 of 2022. The Vaqueros
won the open division of the UC Riverside Invitational behind the 1-2 finish of
Joel Barros and Jayden Smith.
Rounding
out the top-10 are No. 6 (tie) Butler
(Kan.) CC and Crowder (Mo.), No.
8 Snow (Utah), No. 9 Ranger (Texas) and No. 10 Southern Nevada.
