PELLA—Central College's men's and women's cross country teams both remain in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association's preseason Division III national and regional rankings.
           
The Dutch women continue to stand fourth in the Midwest Region but actually slipped one spot to 22nd in the national rankings despite winning their second consecutive meet title, running away with the Les Duke Invitational crown at Grinnell Saturday.
           
Central's men are again fifth in the Midwest Region and 30th nationally after also taking the team crown at the Les Duke Invitational Saturday.
           
North Central College (Ill.) is No. 1 in the men's poll, narrowly ahead of Pomona-Pitzer (Calif.) and MIT. North Central also tops the men's Midwest Region rankings with Wartburg College second and Washington University-St. Louis (Mo.) in third.
           
Wartburg leads the women's regional and national rankings, followed in both polls by the University of Chicago. Washington-St. Louis is sixth nationally and third in the region.
           
Central's squads are off until next Friday, Sept. 22 when the Dutch race at the Roy Griak Invitational, hosted by the University of Minnesota at Minneapolis starting at 10 a.m.
Meanwhile, the Heartland Classic, one of the region's premier high school cross country meets, will be run on Central's campus cross country course Saturday morning.