2022 NAIA Women’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll – Week 3
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Pollsters were as close to a tie as possible in the Week 3 edition of the NAIA Women’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll, which was released on Thursday by the NAIA National Office.
NAIA — Women's Cross Country
This Week's National Top Five
1
Milligan (Tenn.)
Milligan (Tenn.)
2
Taylor (Ind.)
Taylor (Ind.)
3
Saint Mary (Kan.)
Saint Mary (Kan.)
4
St. Francis (Ill.)
St. Francis (Ill.)
5
The Master's (Calif.)
The Master's (Calif.)
Cross Country Polls & Rankings
Season-long No. 1 – and defending national champion – Milligan (Tenn.) held on to the No. 1 position by a scant one point as Taylor (Ind.) moved as close as possible to the top rung. Milligan led Taylor in terms of first-place votes, 11-10.
Milligan was victorious this past weekend at the Royals Challenge, holding off host Queens (N.C.) 75-84. Queens – sixth last year in the NCAA Division II Championships – is beginning a four-year transition to NCAA DI.
Taylor’s move up came after a week of non-racing.
The rest of the top-5 continued last week’s order: No. 3 Saint Mary (Kan.), No. 4 St. Francis (Ill.) and No. 5 The Master’s (Calif.).
Saint Mary scored a perfect 15 in going 1-7 at the Firestarter Classic, while The Master’s split its stable in being the top NAIA program at both the nearby Pomona-Pitzer Invitational and the Florida State Invitational at Apalachee Regional Park – the latter being the site of this year’s NAIA Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee, Florida, on Friday, November 18.
Rounding out the top-10 are No. 6 College of Idaho, No. 7 Cornerstone (Mich.), No. 8 Dordt (Iowa), No. 9 Grace (Ind.) and No. 10 Southern Oregon. Dordt’s move up over Grace was the only change in the top-10.
