2017 NAIA Women’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll – Week 5

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – At the conclusion of all women’s cross country conference championship meets, Oklahoma City has taken over the No. 1 spot in this week’s NAIA Women’s Cross Country Top 25 poll, the national office announced Sunday.

Top 25 Highlights (historical information dates back to 1999):

• The Stars of Oklahoma City finished first overall in the Sooner Athletic Conference Championship on November 4, earning an automatic berth to the National Championship.
• Oklahoma City garnered 9 first place votes and 550 total points to earn the top spot.
• No. 19 Northwestern (Iowa) rejoins the Top 25 after dropping out in the last poll, and No. 25 Cornerstone (Mich.) earns its first spot in the Top 25 of 2017 this week.
• Simon Fraser (B.C.) sholds the record for the most No. 1 rankings with 41 all time.
• College of Idaho holds the record for the longest consecutively-ranked active school, appearing in 72-straight polls, followed by Carroll (Mont.) with 63.

Poll Methodology

• The poll was voted upon by a panel of head coaches representing each of the conferences.
• Each conference is given one rater for every four schools in the league.
• The Top 25 is determined by a points system based on how each voter ranks the best teams. A team receives 25 points for each first-place vote, 24 for second-place and so on through the list.
• The highest and lowest ranking for each team (a non-rating is considered a low rating) is removed and the team’s ranking will be recalculated with an additional point added to each team for every ballot (including discounted ballots) that the teams appear on.
• Teams that receive only one point in the ballot are not considered “receiving votes.”