KJCCC Publication

After reaching the 2023 NJCAA Division 1 Women’s Soccer National Semifinals last year, Cowley College was selected as the winner of the 2024 Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference Division 1 Women’s Soccer Championship preseason berth in league coaches voting on Wednesday, August 14.

With 76 total points and seven of nine first-place finishes, the Tigers are atop the poll after last year’s record of 13-5-4, including 9-3-4 in the KJCCC. They finished third in the regular season before earning wins over Dodge City, Garden City and Barton to capture the 2024 NJCAA Plains District Title and qualifying for the national tournament. At the national tournament, Cowley defeated second-seeded Seminole State College 4-1 before falling 1-0 to seventh-seeded Salt Lake Community College, making the Tigers the only team with a positive goal differential from Group B and advancing to the national semifinals. Playing against first-seeded Iowa Western, Cowley fell 1-0 to the eventual national champions, who did not allow a single goal throughout the entire national tournament.

Butler, the longtime KJCCC candidate, was selected second with 66 total points and one of the two remaining first-place finishes after finishing fifth last season with a 10-6-5 overall record after qualifying for the NJCAA Division 1 Women’s Soccer National Tournament each of the previous two years. Hutchinson was selected third with the only remaining first-place finish with 64 total points as the Blue Dragons are coming off a 12-5-3 season in which they outscored opponents 56-19 and posted seven shutouts before losing their final four games of the season last year.

Barton Community College, defending KJCCC Division 1 women’s soccer regular season champions and NJCAA Division 1 women’s soccer national tournament qualifiers, sits at No. 4 with 56 total points and begins a new era after former coach Ousmane Camara moves on after eight years with the program. Rafael Simmons, head coach of the Cougar men’s soccer team, will also lead the women’s program in 2024. Barton went 14-3-4 overall and 12-1-3 in the KJCCC last year, winning the regular season title and making the national tournament for the second time in program history.

Rounding out the nine-team poll were KCKCC (50 points), Coffeyville (30 points), Garden City (27 points), Dodge City (24 points) and Seward County (12 points).

Conference activities begin on Thursday, August 22nd, with six of nine programs in action to begin the regular season, while the remaining three teams begin the season over the following nine days. Conference play begins on Wednesday, August 28th, with four games taking place, including KCKCC at Seward, Garden City at Hutchinson, Barton at Dodge City and Butler at Coffeyville.