KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Cornerstone (Mich.) vaulted 13 spots to No. 10 in the Oct. 8 release of the NAIA Men’s Cross Country Coaches’ Top 25 Rating, a spot behind Goshen (Ind.), with a nine-spot climb from No. 18 to No. 9.
Cumberlands (Ky.), led by the season’s first men’s runner of the week Collin de Juilio, retained the top spot and this time did it unanimously, collecting all 19 first-place votes cast. The Patriots and No. 2 Southern Oregon were the only teams to stay put in this week’s top 10, which saw Indiana Wesleyan fall out of a tie at No. 2 to No. 3, while College of Idaho and The Master’s (Calif.) exchanged places at No. 4 and No. 5. Embry-Riddle (Ariz.), Tennessee Southern, and Trinity Western (B.C.) also made jumps into the top 10.
Cornerstone’s ascent was marked by a big performance on Sept. 25 in Columbia, Mo., as the Golden Eagles won the Gans Creek Classic, anchored by a fourth-place overall finish from Kort Thompson, now six points shy of Goshen with another rating scheduled for next week. Goshen broke a program record last week, leading to Jesse Songo as this week’s NAIA Men’s Cross Country Runner of the Week.
Songo won the Joe Paine-Notre Dame Invite, remaining unbeaten in his collegiate career, and Goshen finished 11th in a loaded 21-team field.
Other movement in the Oct. 8 rating saw Oklahoma City enter the Top 25 at No. 25, while Eastern Oregon (to No. 21)and Dordt (Iowa) (to No. 18) each climbed four spots, and Northwest (Wash.) moved up five from No. 19 to No. 14.
Thursday’s rating was the second of the regular-season, with the third slated for Oct. 15 on NAIA.org.
| TREND | RANK | LAST | INSTITUTION [FIRST-PLACE VOTES] | POINTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ● | 1 | 1 | Cumberlands (Ky.) [19] | 559 |
| ● | 2 | T-2 | Southern Oregon | 535 |
| ▼ | 3 | T-2 | Indiana Wesleyan | 521 |
| ▲ | 4 | 5 | College of Idaho | 500 |
| ▼ | 5 | 4 | The Master’s (Calif.) | 488 |
| ▲ | 6 | 7 | Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) | 454 |
| ▲ | 7 | 10 | Tennessee Southern | 432 |
| ▲ | 8 | 12 | Trinity Western (B.C.) | 414 |
| ▲ | 9 | 18 | Goshen (Ind.) | 393 |
| ▲ | 10 | 23 | Cornerstone (Mich.) | 387 |
| ▼ | 11 | 9 | Marian (Ind.) | 371 |
| ▼ | 12 | 11 | Milligan (Tenn.) | 346 |
| ▼ | 13 | 6 | Saint Mary (Kan.) | 333 |
| ▲ | 14 | 19 | Northwest (Wash.) | 308 |
| ▼ | 15 | 14 | Madonna (Mich.) | 307 |
| ▼ | 16 | 13 | St. Francis (Ill.) | 296 |
| ▼ | 17 | 15 | Rio Grande (Ohio) | 265 |
| ▲ | 18 | 22 | Dordt (Iowa) | 259 |
| ▲ | 19 | 20 | Park (Mo.) | 231 |
| ▼ | 20 | 16 | Rocky Mountain (Mont.) | 227 |
| ▲ | 21 | 25 | Eastern Oregon | 210 |
| ▼ | 22 | 8 | Corban (Ore.) | 170 |
| ▼ | 23 | 17 | Taylor (Ind.) | 169 |
| ▼ | 24 | 21 | IU East (Ind.) | 147 |
| ▲ | 25 | NR | Oklahoma City | 110 |
Receiving Votes: Columbia (Mo.) 88, Montreat (N.C.) 65, Aquinas (Mich.) 36, Oregon Tech 32, Mid-America Christian (Okla.) 25, Benedictine (Kan.) 24, Carroll (Mont.) 17, Doane (Neb.) 14, Haskell Indian Nations (Kan.) 12, John Brown (Ark.) 10, Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) 9, Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) 5, Ave Maria (Fla.) 3, Evangel (Mo.) 3
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The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), headquartered in Kansas City, Mo., is a governing body of small college athletics programs dedicated to character-driven, education-based athletics. Since 1937, the NAIA has balanced high-level competition with holistic student-athlete development through its commitment to The Right Way to Play®. Each year more than 87,000 NAIA student-athletes compete in college athletics, earn over $1.3 billion in financial aid, and pursue opportunities to participate in 30 national championships. naia.org | @NAIA | #TheRightWayToPlay
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