Submitted photo: The Iowa Central logo is stenciled into the race area at Lakeside Golf Course inside Kennedy Park ahead of this weekend’s NJCAA national championships.

One week after hosting the best high school distance runners in the state, Fort Dodge will welcome the top junior college cross country athletes from across the country.

The NJCAA Div. I, II and III men’s and women’s championships will all take place from Kennedy Park and Lakeside Golf Course on Saturday, starting at 9:30 a.m. with the Div. II women’s race. Nearly 1,400 runners from over 250 different teams will be in action.

“We are excited to have the opportunity to have the NJCAA national cross country meet here in Fort Dodge,” Iowa Central athletics director Guy Horn said. “It gives Iowa Central the opportunity to show the rest of the country what we are about, but also, all the things we have to offer here in our community.

“I want to thank Visit Fort Dodge, the city, and the Parks and Rec department for their efforts in helping make this event one of a kind. It starts the fall sports championships for the NJCAA, and it’s always fun to kick off the championship season. Thank you to Iowa Central’s board of directors, administrators and the NJCAA for allowing us the freedom to run with this event and make it special for the student athletes.”

The Iowa Central programs are the official host, as the Triton men are looking to make it four team titles while doing so. Currently ranked third behind ICCAC rival Iowa Western and Hutchinson, Iowa Central is led by a strong group of freshmen — including standouts Soufyane Laaziz and Chakib Cherkaoui Rhazouani.

Brothers Saad Rifi Loutfi and Said Rifi Loutfi give veteran head coach Dee Brown plenty of strength at the top of the lineup.

“I’m very excited about the opportunity our men’s team has this weekend,” Brown said. “At the regional meet two weeks ago, Iowa Western beat us by five points. That’s close, especially in a small meet like that. While we would have loved to have won that meet, to see it that close was exciting. Our men are strong and confident.

“They are focused and they don’t care what our ranking is or isn’t. They have one united goal, and that’s to win. I believe in them, and I believe they will give it all and run their best race possible.”

The Tritons have won five team national championships overall, with three coming while serving as hosts of the meet. Former St. Edmond state runners Levi Odor-Westrum and Liam Shannon are both on the roster for Iowa Central.

Iowa Western, twice a runner-up at nationals in search of NJCAA title No. 1, are led by Barnabas Ndiwa, who recorded the fourth-fastest time in course history here at the recent regional meet.

New Mexico JC, Butler, Central Arizona, Crowder, Odessa, Colby and Blinn round out the Top-10.

Iowa Central sits 15th overall in the women’s rankings, which is led by Odessa. Iowa Western is second, El Paso third, New Mexico fourth and Hutchinson fifth.

Odessa won the Region 5 crown, which features four of the Top-6 teams in the country. They are led by Milicent Wafula.

Juliana Sakat of Iowa Western has not lost in seven races this fall. The Reivers are looking for their first women’s team national gold, having placed as high as third previously.

Iowa Central is paced by Hafsa Oukadou, who was second at the regional meet and finished fourth at the Chile Pepper Festival earlier this year. The Triton roster also includes Fort Dodge Senior High graduates Darylinn Cook and Paige Lewis.

“Compared to our men’s team, our women’s squad is very different,” Brown said. “We lacked depth to being and now a few injuries have really taken a major toll on us. Hafsa has been looking stronger and better each race. Abbi Hutchinson had a slow recovery over the summer from an injury last track season and really hasn’t ever been full strength, but she has run some comparable times. I hope to see her end on a high note.

“After that, it really just depends on how healthy we can be by race day.”

The Tritons will hit the course for the women’s race at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday. The men start at 3:30 p.m.

Lansing is the No. 1 squad in Div. II, with DMACC third behind the Stars and Wallace State-Hanceville for the men. On the women’s side, defending Div. II champ Mesa is first, followed by Paradise Valley.

Harper holds the top spot in Div. III, followed by defending champ DuPage and Joliet for the men. Reigning champion Mineral Area is No. 1 in the women’s Div. III rankings with Joliet second and DuPage third.

Salt Lake swept the men’s and women’s team titles in Div. I last year.

“I’m very excited to have this event back in Fort Dodge,” Brown said. “I truly pour a lot of heart and energy into this to make it the absolute best national meet these athletes will experience in their four years of college. We are always trying to add more bells and whistles to really put the athletes center stage and make them feel important and celebrated.

“Friday evening we have a huge banquet and awards evening for over 1,200 athletes and coaches who chose to be involved. We are inducting (former Triton standout) AG Bradford, among others, into the NJCAA XC/TF Coaches Association Hall of Fame. In my opinion, AG is the greatest female athlete Iowa Central has ever seen.

“The drawback of hosting this event is the hours put into it and the time spent away from my team and family. Luckily, Coach Mark Bennett and Coach Anne Cleary have picked up a lot of slack for me in the office and with the cross country team this fall. The upside, after it is all done, I will be thankful and happy knowing that I gave it my best for the almost 2,000 athletes and all of the coaches who spent the weekend in Fort Dodge and provided a great boost to our local businesses and economy.”

On Tuesday, the NJCAA Half Marathon Championships will also take place in Fort Dodge, beginning at 9 a.m. with the women’s all-division race. The men will begin 15 minutes after.

The half marathon starts at the Crimmins Building and finishes at Kennedy Park. A total of 396 runners representing 72 programs will be participating.