2023 NAIA Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll – Week 1
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Everything got turned on its head in the newest edition of the NAIA Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll for the 2023 season! None of the top-10 teams from the previous iteration remained in place after several weeks of competition.
NAIA — Men's Cross Country
This Week's National Top Five
1
Indiana Wesleyan
Indiana Wesleyan
2
Milligan (Tenn.)
Milligan (Tenn.)
3
The Master's (Calif.)
The Master's (Calif.)
4
Saint Mary (Kan.)
Saint Mary (Kan.)
5
Dordt (Iowa)
Dordt (Iowa)
Cross Country Polls & Rankings
Indiana Wesleyan is the new top-ranked squad, garnering 11 of the 21 first-place votes from the electorate. The Wildcats opened the season in a big way as they crushed the field at the IWU Wildcat Twilight Invitational two weeks ago. IWU put all seven of its runners in the top-11, led by a 1-2-3-4 finish. Braden Sweet picked up the individual title in 24:42.2.
Former No. 1 Milligan (Tenn.) sits second and hauled in eight first-place votes. The Buffs recently ran a strong third at the Virginia Tech Alumni Invitational. Milligan had three athletes finish in the top-15, led by the talented duo of Aaron Jones (eighth) and Bryn Woodall (tenth).
The Master’s (Calif.) improved one spot to No. 3. Two weeks ago, the Mustangs cruised to victory at the Biola Invitational, scoring just 22 points with five runners in the top-10. Brint Laubach captured the individual title in 24:44.5 and earned M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week honors for his efforts.
Saint Mary (Kan.) earned the two remaining first-place votes and jumped three spots from No. 7 to No. 4. The Spires stood out at the Greeno/Dirksen Invitational this past weekend. Saint Mary (Kan.) took fifth in the team standings and saw Emad Bashir-Mohammed finish third as an individual. Bashir-Mohammed was the only Spire athlete to end up in the top-25.
Former No. 2 Dordt (Iowa) fell three spots to No. 5. The Defenders took runner-up honors at the Sunflower Opener back on September 9 and saw three runners finish in the top-5.
Here are the rest of the top-10 teams in Week 1: No. 6 Oklahoma City, No. 7 College of Idaho, No. 8 Eastern Oregon, No. 9 Montreat (N.C.) and No. 10 Cumberlands (Ky.).
Mark your calendars for Friday, November 17, because that’s when the 2023 NAIA Cross Country Championships will be held at the Fort Vancouver National Historic Site in Vancouver, Washington.
