2021 NAIA Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll – Week 2

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Three different teams received first-place votes in the most recent edition of the NAIA Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll, which was released on Thursday by the NAIA National Office. The top-2 teams are separated by just three points.

NAIA — Men's Cross Country

This Week's National Top Five

1
Indiana Wesleyan

2
Saint Mary (Kan.)

3
St. Francis (Ill.)

4
Milligan (Tenn.)

5
Taylor (Ind.)

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Indiana Wesleyan remained No. 1 and earned 13 first-place votes in the process. The Wildcats most recently competed in the Men’s Maroon 8k at the Roy Griak Invitational and placed third in a field composed primarily of NCAA Division II and NCAA Division III programs. IWU had a tight 24-second spread between its first through fourth runners.

Saint Mary (Kan.) held steady at No. 2 and hauled in six first-place votes. The Spires most recently competed in the Men’s 8k Open at the Gans Creek Classic and ran roughshod over the competition, nearly sweeping the proceedings. Saint Mary (Kan.) went 1-2-3-4-6 for 16 points and was led by an individual title from Luke Skinner.

St. Francis (Ill.) jumped five spots from No. 8 to No. 3 and notched the final two first-place votes awarded by the coaches. The Saints most recently competed in the Men’s 8k Gold at the Live in the Lou Cross Country Classic and fared admirably against top NCAA Division I and NCAA Division II competition. St. Francis (Ill.) finished 11^th out of 36 teams in the race.

Milligan (Tenn.) climbed two spots from No. 6 to No. 4 and former No. 3 Taylor (Ind.) fell two spots to No. 5. The Buffs showcased their strength two weeks ago at the Queen City Invitational, where they rolled to the team title against stout NCAA Division II competition. The Trojans most recently competed in the same Men’s 8k Gold at the Live in the Lou Cross Country Classic and finished 21^st out of 36 teams with a big gap between its first and fifth runners.

Here are the rest of the top-10 teams in Week 2: No. 6 The Master’s (Calif.), No. 7 Oklahoma City, No. 8 Embry-Riddle (Ariz.), No. 9 Oregon Tech and No. 10 Huntington (Ind.).

Mark your calendars for Friday, November 19, because that’s when the 2021 NAIA Cross Country Championships will be held at the Fort Vancouver National Historic Site in Vancouver, Washington.