2022 NAIA Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll – Week 5
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Expect another team title for Milligan (Tenn.) at the NAIA Cross Country Championships, if the final edition of the NAIA Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll has any bearing on the results next Friday in Tallahassee, Florida.
NAIA — Men's Cross Country
This Week's National Top Five
1
Milligan (Tenn.)
Milligan (Tenn.)
2
The Master's (Calif.)
The Master's (Calif.)
3
Dordt (Iowa)
Dordt (Iowa)
4
Indiana Wesleyan
Indiana Wesleyan
5
Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City
Cross Country Polls & Rankings
The Buffs remained No. 1 in the National Coaches’ Poll and hauled in 15 of 18 first-place votes from the electorate. Milligan (Tenn.) just romped to victory at the AAC Championships this past weekend, going 1-2-3-6-8 for 20 points. Extend the scope to the Buffs’ top-7 runners and each of them finished in the top-10. Milligan (Tenn.) had seven in before any other team had four.
The Master’s (Calif.) didn’t budge from the No. 2 spot – and justifiably so. The Mustangs, who earned two first-place votes from the coaches, recently dominated the proceedings at the GSAC Championships, scoring just 24 points to beat runner-up No. 6 Westmont (Calif.) by 28 points. The Master’s (Calif.) put its entire scoring lineup in the top-10 and its other two varsity athletes finished in the top-15.
Dordt (Iowa) steamrolled the field at the GPAC Championships and held steady at No. 3. Joe Anderson held it down for the Defenders this past weekend, as he gave them the ultimate low stick at 25:29.7. Behind Anderson, Dordt (Iowa) athletes finished 2-3-4-7 for 17 points.
Indiana Wesleyan earned the final outstanding first-place vote after a victory at the Crossroads League Championships this past weekend. The fourth-ranked Wildcats, led by Eli Fullerton’s individual title, beat five other nationally-ranked programs with 40 points.
Oklahoma City jumped four spots from No. 9 to No. 5 following its emphatic victory at the Sonner Athletic Conference Championships. The Stars went 1-2-3-4-5 for 15 points.
Here are the rest of the top-10 teams in Week 5: No. 6 Southern Oregon, No. 7 Montreat (N.C.), No. 8 Westmont (Calif.), No. 9 Saint Mary (Kan.), No. 10 College of Idaho.
