NIACC men remain 3rd in latest poll
MASON CITY - The NIACC men's cross country team remained third in the third USTFCCCA NJCAA Division II poll released Wednesday.
NIACC was ranked No. 1 in the first poll of the season on Sept. 9 and the Trojans were ranked third in the Sept. 23 poll.
Allen CC (Kan.), which was No. 2 in the Sept. 23 poll, took over the top spot in the NJCAA Division II rankings. Cowley CC, which was No. 1 in the Sept. 23 poll, fell to No. 2 in Wednesday's rankings.
Hawkeye CC is ranked seventh in this week's poll.
On Sept. 25, NIACC claimed the top three spots in the 8-kilometer race to win the Southwestern Spartan Classic. Sophomore Jorge Ruiz was the individual champion in a time of 27 minutes, 15 seconds.
Ruiz' highest finish during his freshman season was an 11th-place finish at the NJCAA Region XI meet. Ruiz is the first NIACC men's runner to win an indiviual title since Abdiaziz Wako won the 2018 Trent Smith Invitational.
NIACC's Vicente Correia was second in 27:55 and Jalen Petersen was third in a time of 28:06.
Other counting scores for the Trojans at the Southwestern meet were Caleb Sledd, who was 11th in 30:19, and Stephen Votaw, who was 12th in 30:25.
NIACC returns to action Friday at home when the Trojans host the fourth annual Trent Smith Invitational. The women's 5K race starts at 4:30 p.m. with the men's 8K race to follow.
USTFCCCA NJCAA Division II men's poll
Allen CC (Kan.), Cowley CC (Kan.), NIACC, Daytona State (Fla.), Wallace State CC (Ala.), Heartland CC (Ill.), Hawkeye CC, Grand Rapids CC (Mich.), Lake-Sumter State (Fla.), Metropolitian CC (Mo.), UA Rich Mountain (Ark.), Marion Military Institute (Ala.), Jackson (Mich.), Bryant & Stratton (Wis.), Macomb CC (Mich.), Moraine Valley CC (Ill.), St. Clair County CC (Mich.), Tallahassee CC (Fla.), Danville Area CC (Ill.), Florida State-Jacksonville, Mott CC (Mich.), Redlands CC (Okla.), Alpena CC (Mich.)
