Top Five Hold, Eastern Oregon Makes Four-Spot Jump in Final Men's Cross Country Top 25
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Eastern Oregon shot up four spots to No. 6, and two teams outside the top 10 made five-spot climbs, as Rio Grande (Ohio) moved up to No. 12 and Spring Arbor (Mich.) to No. 13 in the final edition of the 2025 NAIA Men's Cross Country Coaches' Top 25 Rating.
The Master's (Calif.) held its spot at No. 1, claiming 12 of the 18 first-place votes cast, holding a six-point margin on Indiana Wesleyan. The Wildcats claimed six first-place votes and remained No. 2. The top five remained unchanged, as Cumberlands (Ky.), Taylor (Ind.), and Saint Mary (Kan.) held at Nos. 3, 4, and 5, and two new teams made their way into the Top 25 - Kansas Wesleyan and Park (Mo.) in a tie at No. 24.
The 2025 NAIA Men's Cross Country Coaches' Top 25 Final Rating decided second automatic bids, if those automatic qualifiers are in the top 30, as well as at-large selections to the 2025 NAIA Men's Cross Country National Championship, next week in Tallahassee, Fla.
Final Top 25:
| Rank | Last Rating | Institution [First Place Votes] | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 
|
The Master's (Calif.) [12] | 490 |
| 2 | 2 | 
|
Indiana Wesleyan [6] | 484 |
| 3 | 3 | 
|
Cumberlands (Ky.) | 465 |
| 4 | 4 | 
|
Taylor (Ind.) | 436 |
| 5 | 5 | 
|
Saint Mary (Kan.) | 426 |
| 6 | 10 | 
|
Eastern Oregon | 405 |
| 7 | 6 | 
|
Rocky Mountain (Mont.) | 398 |
| 8 | 7 | 
|
Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) | 386 |
| 9 | 8 | 
|
Milligan (Tenn.) | 371 |
| 10 | 9 | 
|
Southern Oregon | 365 |
| 11 | 12 | 
|
College of Idaho | 321 |
| 12 | 17 | 
|
Rio Grande (Ohio) | 291 |
| 13 | 18 | 
|
Spring Arbor (Mich.) | 277 |
| 14 | 16 | 
|
Doane (Neb.) | 269 |
| 15 | 15 | 
|
Trinity Western (B.C.) | 267 |
| 16 | 11 | 
|
IU East (Ind.) | 261 |
| 17 | 19 | 
|
Goshen (Ind.) | 254 |
| 18 | 22 | 
|
Cornerstone (Mich.) | 230 |
| 19 | 14 | 
|
Madonna (Mich.) | 195 |
| 20 | T-20 | 
|
Carroll (Mont.) | 179 |
| 21 | 13 | 
|
Marian (Ind.) | 168 |
| 22 | T-20 | 
|
Corban (Ore.) | 147 |
| 23 | 24 | 
|
St. Francis (Ill.) | 123 |
| T-24 | RV | 
|
Kansas Wesleyan | 103 |
| T-24 | NR | 
|
Park (Mo.) | 103 |
Receiving Votes, In the Top 30:
| RV | Last Rating | Institution | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 | 25 | 
|
Aquinas (Mich.) | 96 |
| 27 | RV | 
|
Dordt (Iowa) | 85 |
| 28 | 23 | 
|
Montreat (N.C.) | 75 |
| 29 | RV | 
|
Mount Mercy (Iowa) | 53 |
| 30 | RV | 
|
Concordia (Neb.) | 25 |
Others Receiving Votes: Northwest (Wash.) 13, Shawnee State (Ohio) 11, Ave Maria (Fla.) 8, Oklahoma City 7, Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) 2.
Ratings Methodology
- The rating is rated by a panel of head coaches representing each of the conferences and unaffiliated groupings.
- The Top 25 is determined by a points system based on how each rater rates the best teams. A team receives 30 points for each first-place vote, 29 points for second place, 28 points for third place, and so on through the list.
- The highest and lowest ratings for each team (a non-rating is considered a low rating) are removed. The team’s rating will be recalculated with an additional point added to each team for every ballot (including discounted ballots) on which the team appears.
- Teams that receive only one point in the ballot are not considered “receiving votes”.
