NEW ORLEANS, LA – The Johns Hopkins men's and women's cross country teams are both ranked in the top six in the nation in this week's U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Polls.  The Blue Jay men check in at number six, while the women are ranked third.
 
The Johns Hopkins men opened the year with a preseason ranking of #23 and jumped to number 16 in the first regular season poll before vaulting 10 spots to number six this week.  The Blue Jays made the 10-spot jump after a standout performance at Michigan State's Spartan Invitational last Friday (Sept. 16), where they placed sixth overall and second among Division III schools.  They topped then third-ranked John Carroll by two points and then sixth-ranked SUNY Geneseo by 63; only North Central, which was ranked 13^th last week, topped Johns Hopkins among the Division III schools in the 18-team field.  The Cardinals edged the Blue Jays by just three points.
 
This week's number six ranking is tied for the third-highest in school history.  Johns Hopkins was ranked number three for one week early in the 2017 season and rose as high as number five during the 2019 season.  This week's ranking also marks the 28^th time in school history that Johns Hopkins has been ranked in the top 10; all 28 instances have come since 2013.
 
The Blue Jay women hold firm in the number three position in this week's poll.  Johns Hopkins opened at number three in the preseason and has now held that spot through each of the three polls on the year.  The Blue Jays placed fourth overall and second among Division III teams at Spartan Invitational last weekend. Only top-ranked SUNY Geneseo finished ahead of the Blue Jays there as the Knights edged JHU by 15 points.
 
The number three national ranking extends Hopkins' amazing run of top 10 rankings as this is the 93^rd consecutive week that the Blue Jays have been ranked in the top 10 and the 117^th time in the 126 weeks since the start of the 2009 season that JHU has been in the top 10.
 
Both teams are off this week and will return to action on Friday, September 30 when they compete at Lehigh's Paul Short Invitational.