2023 NAIA Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll – Week 4

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Here is the newest edition of the NAIA Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll for the 2023 season, as released on Thursday by the NAIA National Office.

Indiana Wesleyan remains entrenched in the No. 1 spot after a big weekend, but the rest of the top-5 shifted around. Milligan (Tenn.) is now No. 2, followed by The Master’s (Calif.) at No. 3, College of Idaho at No. 4 and Saint Mary (Kan.) at No. 5.

NAIA — Men's Cross Country

This Week's National Top Five

1
Indiana Wesleyan

2
Milligan (Tenn.)

3
The Master's (Calif.)

3
College of Idaho

5
Saint Mary (Kan.)

Cross Country Polls & Rankings

NATIONAL POLL

CONFERENCE RANKINGS

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There was no reason to move the Wildcats from the top, as they dominated the NAIA Great Lakes Challenge this past weekend. IWU, which received 18 first-place votes, put four runners in the top-10 – another in the top-20 – as it scored just 40 points. Landon Wakeman, Eli Fullerton and Luke Pohl went 3-4-5 to lead the Wildcats in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Over at the NAIA Appalachian Challenge, the Buffs passed a tough test. Milligan squared off against a game Montreat (N.C.) squad and came out on top, 42-53. The Buffs went 1-3-5-10-23 to amass their total with Bryn Woodall taking top individual honors in 23:49.4, which set a program record for the fastest 8k time.

While the Mustangs were idle, the Coyotes and the Spires tangled at the Blazing Tiger NAIA Classic. When the dust settled in Ashland, Nebraska, College of Idaho emerged victorious by 11 points, 56-67. Saint Mary (Kan.) received the ultimate low stick from Emad Bashir-Mohammed, but the Coyotes’ depth won the day (College of Idaho runners finished 2-6-7-11-30).

Here are the rest of the top-10 teams in Week 4: No. 6 Eastern Oregon, No. 7 Dordt (Iowa), No. 8 Cumberlands (Ky.), No. 9 Montreat (N.C.) and No. 10 Grace (Ind.).

Mark your calendars for Friday, November 17, because that’s when the 2023 NAIA Cross Country Championships will be held at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site in Vancouver, Washington.