KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The 2026 NAIA Men’s Cross-Country season is heading to the midway point as the top teams continue a strong start to the year, while there have been many outstanding individual performances that have highlighted the opening month of the season.
The latest Men’s Cross-Country Ratings were released last week, with little movement happening at the top of the list. Let’s take a look at the top five teams in the latest ratings.
The Patriots remain in the top position on the list after placing fifth at the Southern Showcase hosted by Jacksonville State. Cumberlands were the top NAIA team in the meet. James Ndayishimiye led the way for the Patriots with a 22nd-place finish in the event with a time of 24:26.2, while Luca Madeo placed 27th in the race with a mark of 24:36.9. This was the best finish ever in the event for the Patriots, surpassing their ninth-place finish back in 2023.
The Raiders moved into a tie for second in the rating after an impressive result at the Pacific Lutheran Invitational on September 19, claiming the team title with 39 points. Mason Weisgerber took home the individual race championship with a 24:19.3 over the 8k course, while Andrew Rush finished third in the race with a time of 24:53.1, with Carter Stedman coming in fourth with a mark of 24:57.1.
The Wildcats join Southern Oregon in the second spot in the ratings after finishing second at their home Twilight Classic and a strong performance in the gold race at the Gans Creek Classic. In the Gans Creek meet, which saw an all-DI field, Trenton Sweet paced the Wildcats with an 114th-place finish in a time of 24:26.0, while Mike Harrington earned 163rd-place with a mark of 24:55.1.
The Mustangs moved up a spot in the ratings following a 13th-place finish at the UC Riverside Invitational on September 19. Andrew Fastup led the way for the Mustangs with a 29th-place finish in a time of 24:16.8 on the 8k course. Hunter Roy earned 66th place with a mark of 24:48.6, while Elijah Lovett finished in 74th place with a time of 24:53.1
The Yotes jumped two spots in the ratings after starting the year in seventh after winning the Northwest Nazarene Invitational on September 18. The Yotes scored 37 points in the meet, outdistancing Northwest Nazarene by 16 points. Ben Hugaboom paced the Yotes with a third-place finish in a personal-best time of 24:56.7 over the 8k course. Matt Wilde grabbed a fifth-place finish with a mark of 25:11.0, which was also a personal-best mark, while Everett Metier earned eighth place with a season-best time of 25:21.1.
Let’s take a look at the top runners through the first month of the season.
Mohamed Guled of Mid-America Christian (Okla.) has the top time in the NAIA after running a course-record time of 23:00.6 at the Missouri Southern Stampede. Mehdi Nait Hamoud of Madonna (Mich.) is the only other runner to have a sub-24-minute time, with a mark of 23:54.6 at the National Catholic Invitational, while Justin Kiplagat of Trinity Western (B.C.) has the third-fastest time of 24:06.2 at the WWU Bill Roe Classic.
The College of Idaho holds the top three times in the 6k thus far this season, as Isaac Anttonen leads the way with a time of 18:17.4 at the Linfield Harrier Classic. Teammate Ben Hugaboom has the second-fastest time with a mark of 18:19.3, while Oclan Ryan is third-fastest with a time of 18:19.5.
Caleb Sarsland of Dickinson State (S.D.) leads the pack in the 5k times with a mark of 14:49.0, while Josiah Jaquith of Northwest (Wash.) has the second-fastest time of 14:59.4. Mehdi Nait Hamoud of Madonna (Mich.) is third-fastest with a mark of 15:04.5 to go along with his top time on the 8k course.
Next rating coming October 8
Next POTW October 7
About the NAIA
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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