KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Oklahoma Wesleyan jumped eight spots to No. 1 in the first regular-season edition of the STADIONIC NAIA Men’s Soccer Coaches’ Top 25 Poll. The Eagles received five first-place votes after opening the season 2-0.
Movement defined the first regular-season rankings of the 2026 season. Some of the biggest upward movement came just outside the top five. Cumberland (Tenn.) jumped eight spots into a tie for sixth after a 3-0 start, while unbeaten William Carey (Miss.) made the largest climb of any team already ranked in the preseason poll, moving 12 spots from No. 20 to No. 8. Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) also jumped eight positions to No. 10, and Rio Grande (Ohio) climbed nine spots to No. 15 after opening 3-0-1.
Three teams entered the Top 25 after receiving votes in the postseason edition. Faulkner (Ala.) debuted at No. 22 following a 3-0 start, Union Commonwealth (Ky.) entered at No. 24 with a 2-0 record and Xavier (La.) joined the rankings at No. 25. In all, 15 teams moved up from their postseason positions, including Olivet Nazarene (Ill.), which climbed four spots to No. 21.
In just two games, the Eagles are among the top 15 goal-scoring teams in the NAIA, opening the year with shutout wins over Avila (Mo.) and Baker (Kan.). OKWU’s leading scorer, Tylor Guerrero, has three goals, one a game-winner, and an assist for a team-best seven points.
GGC has given up a goal in each game but the Grizzlies have managed to pour on the offense, resulting in an unbeaten start behind 11 goals in three games. Ousmane Fall has found the back of the net four times, adding an assist for a team-best nine points.
The Warriors have three wins in a rugged four-game start, led by keeper Alan Fleischer, posting three shutouts on the year. Two of Tech’s wins are against Top 25 teams – Bethel (Ind.) and Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) – and another against Dalton State (Ga.), a team just outside the ranking.
The Statesmen are two games into the 2026 campaign, as two very different contests marked their start. WPU scored all of its goals in the season opener, a 7-1 win over Morningside (Iowa), including a hat trick from Javier Perez. Keeper Sil Milder took over in the season’s second game, a scoreless draw, earning a shutout over Rocky Mountain (Mont.).
The Pioneers are two games and three goals into 2026, rebounding from a 1-0 loss to ranked Ottawa (Kan.) in their opener with a 3-0 win over Bellevue (Neb.), two days later. Three different MNU players registered goals against the Bruins, and Pedro Vian claimed the team’s scoring lead by adding an assist.
| TREND | RANK | LAST | INSTITUTION [FIRST-PLACE VOTES] | RECORD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ▲ | 1 | 9 | Oklahoma Wesleyan [5] | 2-0 |
| ▲ | 2 | 5 | Georgia Gwinnett [3] | 2-0-1 |
| ▲ | 3 | 6 | Indiana Tech [2] | 3-1 |
| ▲ | 4 | 7 | William Penn (Iowa) [1] | 1-0-1 |
| ▼ | 5 | 3 | MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) [2] | 1-1 |
| ▲ | T-6 | 14 | Cumberland (Tenn.) | 3-0 |
| ▼ | T-6 | 2 | WVU Tech (W. Va.) [3] | 0-0-2 |
| ▲ | 8 | 20 | William Carey (Miss.) [2] | 4-0 |
| ▲ | 9 | 11 | Life (Ga.) | 2-1 |
| ▲ | 10 | 18 | Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) | 1-1 |
| ▲ | 11 | 15 | Keiser (Fla.) | 1-0 |
| ▲ | 12 | 13 | Bethel (Ind.) | 1-1-2 |
| ▲ | 13 | 17 | John Brown (Ark.) | 2-0 |
| ▼ | 14 | 4 | Cumberlands (Ky.) | 1-1-1 |
| ▲ | 15 | 24 | Rio Grande (Ohio) [1] | 3-0-1 |
| ▲ | 16 | 19 | Indiana Wesleyan | 3-0-1 |
| ▼ | 17 | 1 | Grand View (Iowa) | 0-1-1 |
| ▼ | T-18 | 12 | LSU Shreveport (La.) | 2-1 |
| ▼ | T-18 | 16 | Ottawa (Kan.) | 1-1-1 |
| ▼ | 20 | 8 | Warner Pacific (Ore.) | 2-1-1 |
| ▲ | 21 | 25 | Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) | 2-0-1 |
| ▲ | 22 | RV | Faulkner (Ala.) | 3-0 |
| ▼ | 23 | 22 | Grace (Ind.) | 2-2 |
| ▲ | 24 | RV | Union Commonwealth (Ky.) | 2-0 |
| ▲ | 25 | RV | Xavier (La.) | 2-0 |
Dropped out of Top 25: Baker (Kan.), Bethel (Tenn.), Madonna (Mich.)
Receiving Votes: Baker (Kan.), Benedictine (Kan.), Bethel (Tenn.), Central Methodist (Mo.), Clarke (Iowa), Dalton State (Ga.), Eastern Oregon, Harris-Stowe State (Mo.), Holy Cross (Ind.), LSU Alexandria (La.), Madonna (Mich.), Mid-America Christian (Okla.), Milligan (Tenn.), Rocky Mountain (Mont.), Southeastern (Fla.), Southern Oregon, Spring Arbor (Mich.), St. Thomas (Fla.), Stanton (Calif.), Tennessee Southern, Westcliff (Calif.)
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