Three AAC Squads Earn Votes in NAIA Men's Cross Country Poll
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Three Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) teams garnered votes in the first regular-season edition of the NAIA Men's Cross Country Coaches' Top 25 Rating, with two teams landing in the top 20.
The poll was released on Thursday.
Milligan picked up 497 voting points to check in at No. 4, while Montreat earned 293 voting points to move up to No. 16. SCAD Atlanta received three voting points to land 14 spots outside the top 25.
Two teams joined the Top 25, including Trinity Western (B.C.), as the Spartans climbed all the way to No. 11 after receiving votes in the preseason. The next Top 25 is slated for Thursday, Oct. 2.
Top 10 Capsules
Full Top 25
Rating Methodology & Key
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Powered by two of the season's three NAIA Men's Cross Country Runners of the Week, Brogan Collins and Jack Anderson, the top-ranked Mustangs stayed No. 1, beginning 2025 strong with a second-place finish at the Mark Covert Classic, behind host Cal State Fullerton, a third-place finish at Biola, and a win at home, last week, as Anderson edged Collins by three seconds to finish 1-2. The Master's is back in action Oct. 4, at Pomona-Pitzer, in Claremont, Calif. |
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2. Indiana Wesleyan The Wildcats made a big jump, from No. 8 to No. 2, after a hot start in the IWU Twilight Invitational, winning the event handily over top 10 opponents Taylor (Ind.) and Marian (Ind.). Indiana Wesleyan's next meet is Friday (Sept. 26), in Columbia, Mo., at the Gans Creek Classic hosted by the University of Missouri. IWU will run on the same course where the Wildcats finished fifth in the 2024 NAIA Men's Cross Country National Championship. |
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3. Cumberlands (Ky.) The Patriots opened 2025 in second place at the Berea/Centre Jamboree before a 21st-place finish in a largely Division I field at the Southern Showcase, hosted by Jacksonville State University. Cumberlands is back in action Oct. 4, at the Greater Louisville Classic, hosted by the University of Louisville. |
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4. Milligan (Tenn.) Milligan is back two spots to No. 4 after starting the season at No. 2, finishing fourth at the Queen City Invite, in Charlotte, N.C., where the Buffs were the top finisher among NAIA teams, including three spots in front of Montreat (N.C.). Milligan followed with a sixth-place finish at the Brevard Cross Country Classic, in Brevard, N.C., and the Buffs return to action Friday night (Sept. 26), hosting the Eli Cramer Invitational. |
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5. Taylor (Ind.) The Trojans also dropped two spots, from No. 3 to No. 5, after opening the season right behind Indiana Wesleyan at the IWU Twilight Invitational, finishing second. The Trojans resume the season Friday morning (Sept. 26), at the Florida State Cross Country Open, in Tallahassee, Fla. At Indiana Wesleyan, seniors Ryan Hanak and Luke Harber led the way, finishing seventh and eighth, respectively. |
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6. Marian (Ind.) Marian was third in a loaded Indiana Wesleyan season opener, finishing behind IWU and Taylor, checking in one spot back of the Knights' preseason ranking, from No. 5 to No. 6. Marian is just one meet into the 2025 season, competing next at the Lucian Rosa Invite, in Kenosha, Wis. At IWU, the Knights were led by back-to-back finishes, in 15th and 16th place, by Tristan Trevino and Charles Leeke. |
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7. Spring Arbor (Mich.) Two meets in, in 2025, the Cougars have a third-place finish at Hillsdale and a second-place finish at the Warrior Challenge, hosted by Wayne State. They'll compete in their first meet hosted by an NAIA school on the 2025 schedule Friday afternoon (Sept. 26), at Siena Heights (Mich.). |
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8. Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) The Eagles started 2025 with a fifth-place finish at the George Kyte Classic in Flagstaff, hosted by Northern Arizona. They followed that with a win at home on Sept. 6, led by Dillon Eisner's first-place finish (26:32.1). ERAU added a second-place finish at The Mustang Invitational, hosted by The Master's, finishing behind the top-ranked Mustangs. The Eagles' next meet is Oct. 4, at Arizona Christian. |
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9. Corban (Ore.) Corban's season started with a ninth-place finish at the Lewis & Clark Opener on Aug. 29, two spots ahead of the only other NAIA team in the field. The Warriors backed that start up with a fifth-place finish at the Ash Creek Collegiate, a 6K race in Monmouth, Ore., led by a 21st-place finish from Samuel Bosnell (19:45.6). Corban's next meet is Oct. 4, at Willamette. |
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10. Saint Mary (Kan.) The Spires held at No. 10, starting the season with a win in their own meet, at the Spire Sunset Showdown in Leavenworth. Saint Mary followed with a third-place finish at the University of Nebraska, led by seniors Kenneth Howell and Aleksander Krikov, who finished seventh and 11th, respectively. Saint Mary is back on the course Oct. 4, at the University of Arkansas Chile Pepper Festival. |
Receiving Votes: Benedictine (Kan.) 97, St. Francis (Ill.) 90, Eastern Oregon 57, Kansas Wesleyan 47, Tennessee Southern 35, Indiana Tech 29, Mount Mercy (Iowa) 25, SCAD Savannah (Ga.) 20, Oklahoma City 17, Mid-America Christian (Okla.) 15, Evangel (Mo.) 9, John Brown (Ark.) 7, Concordia (Neb.) 6, SCAD Atlanta (Ga.) 3, Montana Tech 2, Mount Vernon Nazarene (Ohio) 2.
Dropped out of Top 25: Eastern Oregon, Kansas Wesleyan.
Ratings Methodology
- The rating is rated by a panel of head coaches representing each of the conferences and unaffiliated groupings.
- The Top 25 is determined by a points system based on how each rater rates the best teams. A team receives 30 points for each first-place vote, 29 for second-place, 28 for third-place and so on through the list.
- The highest and lowest ratings for each team (a non-rating is considered a low rating) are removed. The team's rating will be recalculated with an additional point added to each team for every ballot (including discounted ballots) that the team appears on.
- Teams that receive only one point in the ballot are not considered "receiving votes".
Key: RV - Receiving Votes, NR - Not Ranked, ▲- Climbed, ▼- Dropped, ● - Steady