BLUE DRAGON WOMEN RANKED NO. 5 IN USTFCCCA RANKINGS

Blue Dragon Women's Cross Country is ranked No. 5 in the first USTFCCCA Rankings of 2023.

NJCAA DIV. I WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY RANKINGS

  Points 2022 NJCAA Finish
1. Salt Lake
2. New Mexico Junior College
3. College of Southern Idaho
4. Iowa Western
5. Hutchinson
6. Butler
7. El Paso
8. Cloud County
9. Iowa Central
10. Dodge City
11. Colby
12. Trinidad State
12. Monroe
14. North Central Texas
15. Central Arizona
16. Pima
17. Crowder
18. Eastern Florida State
19. Garden City
20. Amarillo
21. Jacksonville
22. Southern Nevada
23. Barton
24. Highland
24. Indian Hills
158
153
143
137
116
111
98
94
90
83
75
63
63
57
55
46
35
30
22
16
15
11
6
2
2
3
2
1
10
4
14
6
9
5
8
11
20
22
12
7
24
18
19
11
13
17
15
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Hutchinson CC Sports Information

With five runners returning from a Jayhawk Conference/Region VI championship team, the Hutchinson Community College women's cross country team starts the 2023 season ranked No. 5 in the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA)/NJCAA Division I national rankings.

In addition to winning league and regional titles in 2022, the Blue Dragons had their highest NJCAA Division I Championship finish of fourth place last season.

The Blue Dragons return All-American Serenity Larson and Coaches Association All-Americans Taylor Hoskinson and Gracie Lambert from last season.

First-year head coach Jafet Molinares saw his Blue Dragons finish sixth in the season-opening Terry Masterson Twilight Classic on September 1 at Fun Valley. The Blue Dragons were short a pair of runners in that meet. Hutchinson runs its first full 5K race next Friday at the Missouri Southern Stampede in Joplin, Missouri.

The Blue Dragons are the highest ranked of eight Jayhawk Conference teams in the first poll of the season.

Right behind Hutchinson is Butler at No. 6, Cloud County at No. 8 and Dodge City at No. 10, Colby is ranked No. 11, Garden City is No. 19, Barton is No. 23 and Highland is No. 24.

Salt Lake Community College is the preseason No. 1 team, followed by New Mexico Junior college, defending national team champion College of Southern Idaho, Iowa Western and Hutchinson.