Top 25 Poll - Preseason
Contact: Amanda Dahl, NAIA Manager of Sports Information & Media Services, adahl@naia.org
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -Reigning national champion Southern Oregon landed at No. 1 in the 2011 NAIA Men's Cross Country Coaches' Preseason Top 25 Poll, the national office announced Wednesday. Powered behind 15 of 18 possible first-place votes, the Raiders racked up 496 points to garner their first-ever preseason No. 1-ranking.
Wayland Baptist (Texas) was awarded a pair of first-place nods for 480 points to earn the No. 2-ranking, followed by third-ranked Oklahoma Christian with 453 points. Shorter (Ga.) picked up the final first-place vote to total 447 points and check in at No. 4. It is the first top-five rating for the Hawks, whose highest previous ranking was ninth in the 2009 preseason announcement. For the second-consecutive year, British Columbia begins its campaign ranked fifth with 432 points.
There were 18 teams that carried over a ranking from the final poll of 2010. Concordia (Ore.) was unranked heading into the 2010 NAIA Cross Country National Championships, but took home a 25th-place finish. The Cavaliers were rewarded and enter 2011 ranked ninth. After placing 17th, Southwestern (Kan.) jumped into the poll to open the new campaign at No. 14.
Fourteen conferences/independents/unaffiliated groups are represented throughout the Top 25, led by four squads from the Cascade Collegiate Conference: Southern Oregon, Concordia, No. 11 College of Idaho and No. 18 Eastern Oregon. Both the Sooner Athletic Conference and Golden State Athletic Conference have a trio of ranked squads.
The poll was voted upon by a panel of head coaches representing each of the conferences/independents/unaffiliated groups. The first regular-season Top 25 poll will be announced on Sept. 14.
Notes: (All information dates back to 1999) Six different programs have garnered the preseason No. 1-ranking, led by former NAIA member Malone (Ohio), who earned five preseason No. 1-rankings … Four teams have started the season ranked No. 1 and gone on to win the national championship: Malone – 2007, 08 and 09; Virginia Intermont – 2005 and 06; Minot State (N.D.) – 2002; Life (Ga.) – 1999 and 2000 … Southern Oregon has held the top-spot for seven-straight polls dating back to Oct. 6, 2010 … There has only been one program that has been able to maintain the No. 1 ranking for an entire season with Malone accomplishing the feat in 2007 and 08 … No. 12 Aquinas (Mich.) is the only squad that owns an active Top-25 ranking streak that has surpassed 100, with 106-consecutive weeks dating back to the 2000 preseason poll … No. 16 Concordia (Neb.) isn’t far behind, with 96-straight appearances dating back to Sept. 14, 2001.
| RANK | LAST WEEK^ | SCHOOL (1ST PLACE VOTES) | TOTAL POINTS |
| 1 | 1 | Southern Oregon (15) | 496 |
| 2 | 2 | Wayland Baptist (Texas) (2) | 480 |
| 3 | 9 | Oklahoma Christian | 453 |
| 4 | 19 | Shorter (Ga.) (1) | 447 |
| 5 | 15 | British Columbia | 432 |
| 6 | 3 | Shawnee State (Ohio) | 396 |
| 7 | 12 | Graceland (Iowa) | 391 |
| 8 | 11 | The Master's (Calif.) | 387 |
| 9 | NR | Concordia (Ore.) | 382 |
| 10 | 7 | Cal State San Marcos | 360 |
| 11 | 14 | College of Idaho | 320 |
| 12 | 17 | Aquinas (Mich.) | 304 |
| 13 | 16 | Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) | 297 |
| 14 | RV | Southwestern (Kan.) | 279 |
| 15 | 6 | Bryan (Tenn.) | 270 |
| 16 | RV | Oklahoma Baptist | 248 |
| 16 | 8 | Concordia (Neb.) | 248 |
| 18 | 10 | Eastern Oregon | 210 |
| 19 | 24 | Vanguard (Calif.) | 198 |
| 20 | 5 | Embry-Riddle (Fla.) | 179 |
| 20 | 13 | Siena Heights (Mich.) | 179 |
| 22 | NR | Friends (Kan.) | 128 |
| 23 | RV | Biola (Calif.) | 122 |
| 24 | RV | Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) | 102 |
| 25 | RV | Morningside (Iowa) | 96 |
Others receiving votes: Rocky Mountain (Mont.) 88; Rio Grande (Ohio) 78; Westmont (Calif.) 74; Spring Arbor (Mich.) 70; Cornerstone (Mich.) 43; SCAD Savannah (Ga.) 42; Emmanuel (Ga.) 34; Milligan (Tenn.) 29; Berea (Ky.) 24; Dordt (Iowa) 12; Baker (Kan.) 10; Indiana Wesleyan 5; Azusa Pacific (Calif.) 5; Mount Mercy (Iowa) 5; Lee (Tenn.) 4; William Woods (Mo.) 3; Saint Xavier (Ill.) 1; Doane (Neb.) 1; Trinity Christian (Ill.) 1; Illinois Tech 1.
^ 2010 NAIA Men's Cross Country Coaches' Top 25 Final Poll
