October 25, 2017
By -, -
By Trevor Lininger, NAIA Athletic Communications and Media Intern
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Thunderbirds of British Columbia hold on to the No. 1 ranking in the NAIA Men’s Cross Country Coaches’ Top 25 Poll for the second-straight week, the national office announced Wednesday.
Top 25 Highlights (historical information dates back to 1999):
- British Columbia garnered 13 first place votes and 584 total points to hang on to the top spot.
- This is the sixth time that the Thunderbirds have been ranked No. 1.
- Defending National Champion Southern Oregon is currently ranked No. 2, receiving eight first place votes.
- No. 13 Bacone (Okla.) makes its first appearance in the Top 25 of 2017, while No. 23 Shawnee State (Ohio) and No. 24 Oregon Tech return after not making the Top 25 in the previous poll.
- Southern Oregon holds the record for the most No. 1 rankings with 34 all time
- Southern Oregon also holds the record for the longest active streak of being in the Top 25 with 89 straight appearances, dating back to 2008
Poll Methodology
- The poll was voted upon by a panel of head coaches representing each of the conferences.
- Each conference is given one rater for every four schools in the league.The Top 25 is determined by a points system based on how each voter ranks the best teams.
- A team receives 25 points for each first-place vote, 24 for second-place and so on through the list.The highest and lowest ranking for each team (a non-rating is considered a low rating) is removed and the team’s ranking will be recalculated with an additional point added to each team for every ballot (including discounted ballots) that the teams appear on.
- Teams that receive only one point in the ballot are not considered “receiving votes.”
- For the complete Top 25 calendar, click here.
2017 NAIA Men’s Cross Country Coaches’ Top 25 Poll
| RANK | LAST WEEK | SCHOOL [1ST PLACE VOTES] | TOTAL POINTS |
| 1 | 1 | British Columbia [13] | 584 |
| 2 | 1 | Southern Oregon [8] | 579 |
| 3 | 3 | Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) | 538 |
| 4 | 4 | College of Idaho | 535 |
| 5 | 7 | St. Francis (Ill.) | 529 |
| 6 | 6 | Columbia (Mo.) | 489 |
| 7 | 10 | Saint Mary (Kan.) | 453 |
| 8 | 9 | Eastern Oregon | 448 |
| 9 | 17 | Westmont (Calif.) | 444 |
| 10 | 11 | Missouri Valley | 424 |
| 11 | 19 | Indiana Wesleyan | 381 |
| 12 | 12 | Cornerstone (Mich.) | 358 |
| 13 | NR | Bacone (Okla.) | 357 |
| 14 | 7 | Northwestern (Iowa) | 349 |
| 15 | 14 | The Master's (Calif.) | 338 |
| 16 | 13 | Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) | 312 |
| 17 | 16 | Northwest Christian (Ore.) | 308 |
| 18 | 25 | Wayland Baptist (Texas) | 250 |
| 19 | 18 | Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) | 238 |
| 20 | 20 | Indiana Tech | 230 |
| 21 | 5 | Oklahoma City | 220 |
| 22 | 24 | Milligan (Tenn.) | 181 |
| 23 | NR | Shawnee State (Ohio) | 162 |
| 24 | 15 | Taylor (Ind.) | 144 |
| 24 | NR | Oregon Tech | 144 |
Dropped From Top 25: Aquinas (Mich.), Texas Wesleyan, Doane (Neb.)
Others Receiving Votes: Aquinas (Mich) 142; Cumberlands (Ky.) 135; Mount Mercy (Iowa) 69; Madonna (Mich.) 51; Texas Wesleyan 49; Dordt (Iowa) 16; Montreat (N.C.) 9; Siena Heights (Mich.) 5; Reinhardt (Ga.) 3; Doane (Neb.) 3
