Oct. 23, 2022, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – A dominating performance in the Muskegon Invitational has propelled both Grand Rapids Community College cross country teams into the top 10 the latest coaches’ polls.
The women’s team moved up two places to be the No. 4 team in the nation, while the men’s team jumped three spots to claim the No. 7 position in the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association poll in the National Junior College Athletic Association DII category.
The men’s team started the season ranked No. 14, then moved to No. 10 before jumping to No. 7 in the most recent poll.
Rival Lansing Community College’s men’s and women’s teams are the nation’s top-ranked teams. The women’s team climbed into the No. 1 ranking, while the men’s team has claimed the lead in all three polls.
The GRCC women’s team, coached by Sharon Becker, was last ranked as high as No. 4 in the 2021 season’s opening poll.
The poll gains come after Kaylee Scott set a GRCC record and all 15 GRCC cross country runners set personal best times on Oct. 15 at the Muskegon Community College Invitational, helping their teams to top-five finishes in a field with mostly four-year colleges.
Scott’s time of 19:12.7 was eight seconds better than Stephanie Thomas' record time, making Scott the fastest Raider runner since GRCC started cross country again in 2014.
Audrey Meyering and Rose Meyer also broke 20 minutes at the event, with times of 19:29 and 19:34, finishing in the top 20.
On the men’s team, coached by Rob Hyde, freshman Mason Kolhoff paced the Raiders with a 25:24 finishing in 18th place while All-American Clark Coleman finished four spots behind him with a time of 25:48.
Both teams are preparing for the Region XII Championships, hosted by GRCC on Oct. 29 at the Gainey Athletic Complex.