BLUE DRAGON MEN ARE 17TH IN NATIONAL CROSS COUNTRY RANKINGS

The Blue Dragon men's cross country team is ranked No. 17 in the first regular-season rankings by USTFCCCA released on Wednesday. (Steve Carpenter/Blue Dragon Sports Information)
The Blue Dragon men's cross country team is ranked No. 17 in the first regular-season rankings by USTFCCCA released on Wednesday. (Steve Carpenter/Blue Dragon Sports Information)

USTFCCCA/NJCAA DIV. I
MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY RANKINGS

  Final 2021 Rank
1. Colby
2. Iowa Central
3. Trinidad State
4. Northwest Tech
5. Central Arizona
6. El Paso
7. New Mexico JC
8. Southern Idaho
9. Butler
10. Iowa Western
11. Sale Lake
12. Pima
13. Cloud County
14. Eastern Florida State
15. Southern Nevada
16. Vincennes
17. Hutchinson
18. Garden City
19. Ranger
20. Amarillo
3
1
4
5
8
6
7
9
18
2
NR
16
11
Nr
NR
19
NR
13
14
NR

Hutchinson CC Sports Information

The Hutchinson Community College men's cross country team is ranked No. 17 in the first United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) NJCAA Division I rankings, which were released on Monday.

The Blue Dragon men placed 10th at the Terry Masterson Twilight Classic and did not post a team score last week at the Woody Greeno/Jay Dirksen Invitational in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Hutchinson has been ranked in 23 of the last 24 national rankings dating back to 2017. The highest ranking during that span was No. 2 in Week 2 of 2020.

The Blue Dragons have had two different No. 1 runners in their first two meets of the season. Freshman Douwe Bentsink was the top Hutchinson runner at the Terry Masterson Twilight Classic. Hayden Keller paced the Blue Dragons last week in a stacked Greeno/Dirksen field.

The Blue Dragons next compete at the Chili Pepper Classic on Friday, September 30 at Fayetteville, Arkansas.

The Jayhawk Conference is well represented in the national rankings.

Colby, which beat all the Division I teams at the Greeno-Dirksen, is the No. 1 team in the first rankings of the season. Northwest Tech is No. 4, followed by Butler at No. 9, Cloud County at No. 13 and Garden City at No. 18.