KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The latest edition of the NAIA Women’s Cross Country Coaches’ Top 25 Rating featured plenty of movement near the top of the rankings, highlighted by a new No. 1 team. Milligan (Tenn.) moved up one spot from No. 2 to claim the top ranking with 545 points and 10 first-place votes. Last week, the Buffs split the team last week to compete at both the Southern Showcase and the Brevard Invitational, finishing 22nd and 2nd, respectively.
Close behind is Dordt (Iowa), which also climbed one position to No. 2 with 544 points and six first-place votes after opening the season at the Sunflower Invitational with the top finish in the event. College of Idaho continued its upward momentum, rising to No. 3 after being ranked fourth in the previous rating and collecting three first-place votes.
Several programs made significant jumps within the top 10. Indiana Wesleyan surged five spots from No. 9 to No. 4 and sits just one point behind No. 5 Cornerstone (Mich.), which remained unchanged. St. Francis (Ill.) climbed five places to No. 7, while Grace (Ind.) posted one of the largest gains among top-10 teams, moving up seven spots from No. 15 to No. 8. Saint Mary (Kan.) also cracked the top 10 after a six-position jump from No. 16 to No. 10.
Outside the top 10, Rio Grande (Ohio) recorded the biggest rise among ranked teams, leaping 12 spots from No. 24 to No. 12. Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) also continued its ascent, climbing six places to No. 15. Three teams entered the rankings this week, led by IU East (Ind.) at No. 20. John Brown (Ark.) debuted at No. 24, while Mount Mercy (Iowa) rounds out the rating at No. 25.
With four teams earning first-place votes and only 54 points separating No. 1 Milligan from No. 10 Saint Mary (Kan.), the NAIA women’s cross country landscape remains highly competitive as programs continue to position themselves for the postseason.
| TREND | RANK | LAST TIME | INSTITUTION [FIRST-PLACE VOTES] | POINTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ▲ | 1 | 2 | Milligan (Tenn.) [10] | 545 |
| ▲ | 2 | 3 | Dordt (Iowa) [6] | 544 |
| ▲ | 3 | 4 | College of Idaho [3] | 531 |
| ▲ | 4 | 9 | Indiana Wesleyan | 492 |
| ● | 5 | 5 | Cornerstone (Mich.) | 491 |
| ▲ | 6 | 7 | The Master’s (Calif.) | 450 |
| ▲ | 7 | 12 | St. Francis (Ill.) | 431 |
| ▲ | T-8 | 15 | Grace (Ind.) | 411 |
| ▼ | T-8 | 8 | Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) | 411 |
| ▲ | 10 | 16 | Saint Mary (Kan.) | 401 |
| ▼ | 11 | 1 | Taylor (Ind.) [1] | 393 |
| ▲ | 12 | 24 | Rio Grande (Ohio) | 385 |
| ● | 13 | 13 | Benedictine (Kan.) | 337 |
| ▼ | 14 | 6 | Marian (Ind.) | 324 |
| ▲ | 15 | 21 | Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) | 304 |
| ▼ | 16 | 14 | Oklahoma City | 300 |
| ● | 17 | 17 | Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) | 284 |
| ▼ | 18 | 10 | Southern Oregon | 248 |
| ▼ | 19 | 11 | Cumberlands (Ky.) | 221 |
| ▲ | 20 | RV | IU East (Ind.) | 198 |
| ▼ | 21 | 19 | Carroll (Mont.) | 192 |
| ▼ | 22 | 20 | Eastern Oregon | 188 |
| ▼ | 23 | 18 | Kansas Wesleyan | 185 |
| ▲ | 24 | RV | John Brown (Ark.) | 169 |
| ▲ | 25 | RV | Mount Mercy (Iowa) | 132 |
Dropped from Top 25: Aquinas (Mich.), Montreat (N.C.), SCAD (Ga.)
Receiving Votes: Montreat (N.C.) 117, Doane (Neb.) 79, Governors State (Ill.) 45, Saint Mary (Neb.) 37, Saint Francis (Ind.) 31, Spring Arbor (Mich.) 23, Aquinas (Mich.) 9, Montana Tech 8, Morningside (Iowa) 8, Concordia (Neb.) 7, SCAD (Ga.) 5, MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) 4, Arizona Christian 4, Trinity Western (B.C.) 2
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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