2023 NAIA Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll – Preseason

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — After claiming the runner-up spot at the 2022 NAIA Men’s Cross Country Championships, Milligan (Tenn.) will begin the season in the No. 1 spot in the preseason edition of the National Coaches’ Poll.

NAIA — Men's Cross Country

This Week's National Top Five

1
Milligan (Tenn.)

2
Dordt (Iowa)

3
Indiana Wesleyan

4
The Master's (Calif.)

5
Oklahoma City

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The Buffs weren’t the only team to receive love from the electorate, as they shared first place votes with No. 2 Dordt (Iowa), No. 3 Indiana Wesleyan, No. 4 The Master’s (Calif.) and No. 5 Oklahoma City. Milligan and Dordt (Iowa) both hauled in seven first-place votes, while the Wildcats earned five and the Mustangs and Stars each tallied one.

Milligan returns five of the seven athletes who helped it finish a clear-cut second to Dordt (Iowa) in Tallahassee, Florida. Aaron Jones and Will Stockley headline the lineup, as they both finished among the top-10 individual athletes last year (Jones was fourth; Stockley was ninth).

Dordt (Iowa) must find a way to replenish its roster. The Defenders lost two of its top-3 athletes from last year, including two men who finished among the top-20. Peter Shippy will be looked at to lead the squad in 2023 after an 18th-place showing at Apalachee Regional Park last year.

Indiana Wesleyan welcomes back six of its seven runners from 2022, including both Eli Fullerton and Landon Wakeman. Fullerton was 14th, while Wakeman came in right outside the top-20 in 21st place.

Coaches expect big things from both The Master’s (Calif.) and Oklahoma City despite depth issues. The Mustangs must replace its top-2 athletes from 2022, while the Stars are headlined by the 1-2 punch of 2022 NAIA individual champion Alfred Chelangam and runner-up Shimales Abebe, yet finished sixth in the team standings.

Here are the rest of the top-10 teams in the preseason: No. 6 College of Idaho, No. 7 Saint Mary (Kan.), No. 8 St. Francis (Ill.), No. 9 Eastern Oregon and No. 10 Montreat (N.C.).

Mark you calendars for Friday, November 17, because that’s when the 2023 NAIA Cross Country Championships will be held in Vancouver, Washington.