CHARLOTTE, NC – Three Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference (KJCCC) Division 1 Men’s Soccer teams have been selected as part of the 12-team field for the 2026 National Junior College Athletic Association Division 1 Men’s Soccer National Tournament in Wichita, Kansas.
In addition to NJCAA Division 1 Men’s Soccer Plains District Tournament Champion Barton Community College, the KJCCC secured two of the four at-large berths into the National Tournament as both Cowley College and Garden City Community College were selected to continue their seasons. In addition to the at-large berths for the Tigers and Broncbusters, the remaining two at-large bids to the tournament were awarded to number three seed Daytona State College and number nine seed North Idaho College.
Set to play in their second-straight NJCAA D1 Men’s Soccer National Tournament and eighth in program history, Barton Community College is the highest-seeded KJCCC in the field after earning the number two overall seed behind only top-seeded Salt Lake Community College. Placed into Pool B, the Cougars will see their first matchup of the tournament come on Sunday, November 15th at 12:00 PM against Northwest Wyoming College, winners of the Northwest Plains District Title after advancing on penalty kicks over Western Nebraska Community College to enter the tournament with a 9-2-3 overall record. Barton will then have an off day on Monday before returning to the pitch on Tuesday, November 17th at 12:00 PM to take on Lewis and Clark Community College in a rematch from September 6th that resulted in a 4-2 road win for the Cougars.
Cowley is in the NJCAA Division 1 Men’s Soccer National Tournament for a sixth consecutive year, advancing to the semifinal round last year and falling in penalty kicks to Iowa Western in the 2024 NJCAA D1 Men’s Soccer National Championship match. The Tigers will not play on the opening day of the tournament, instead starting their first of two matches on Monday, November 16th at 9:30 AM against number 12 seed Hill College. Winners of the NJCAA D1 Men’s Soccer Mid-South District, the Rebels are 14-3-1 overall and have won six straight matches entering the national tournament. Following their matchup with Hill College, Cowley will then face off the following day at 9:30 AM against top-seeded Salt Lake Community College, one of two undefeated teams in the national tournament field.
Garden City is set to make just its second appearance in program history in the NJCAA D1 Men’s Soccer National Tournament, with GCCC’s only other appearance occurring in 2008. The Broncbusters will be the number 10 seed in the 12-team field, and will open national tournament play against number three seed and 2025 National Runners-Up Daytona State College at 2:30 PM on Sunday afternoon. Garden City will then face off against number six seed Arizona Western College on Monday, November 16th at 2:30 PM for their second and final match of pool play in Pool “C”.
The winner of each of the four pools will advance to the NJCAA Division 1 Men’s Soccer Semifinals, with the top remaining seed taking on the lowest remaining seed while the middle two remaining seeds play each other in the other semifinal match. Semifinal round matchups will take place on Thursday, November 19th, with the winners of each semifinal match facing off in the 2026 NJCAA Division 1 Men’s Soccer National Championship Match on Saturday, November 21st.
All matches of pool play and both semifinal round matches will be streamed live on the NJCAA Network, with the finals being aired exclusively on ESPN+. Fans wanting to keep up with all three KJCCC D1 men’s soccer teams at the NJCAA D1 Men’s Soccer National Tournament can do so at the following link: NJCAA D1 Men’s Soccer National Tournament
