2024 NAIA Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll – Week 1
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Milligan (Tenn.) continues to hold the No. 1 spot in the newest edition of the NAIA Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll, which was released on Thursday by the NAIA National Office.
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
Saint Mary (Kan.)
Saint Mary (Kan.)
4
College of Idaho
College of Idaho
5
Cumberlands (Ky.)
Cumberlands (Ky.)
Cross Country Polls & Rankings
The Buffs, who hauled in 19 of 21 possible first-place votes, competed in two meets since the preseason iteration and impressed at each turn. Milligan (Tenn.) placed third at the NCAA DI heavy Firetower Project CC on September 13 and then romped to victory with a perfect score at the Brevard XC Classic this past weekend. Bryn Woodall has been Milligan (Tenn.)’s top runner.
The Master’s (Calif.) received the two remaining first-place votes and jumped four spots from No. 6 to No. 2. The Mustangs split their squad this past weekend and dazzled at both the Larry Young Invitational and the UCR Cross Country Invitational. The Master’s (Calif.) dominated the former with a 19-point score on a course that will host the upcoming NAIA Championships and took runner-up honors in the latter behind NCAA DI Southern Utah.
Former No. 2 Saint Mary (Kan.) fell to No. 3, while College of Idaho improved from No. 5 to No. 4 and former No. 4 Cumberlands (Ky.) dropped to No. 5.
Here are the rest of the top-10 teams in Week 1: No. 6 Taylor (Ind.), No. 7 Indiana Wesleyan, No. 8 Eastern Oregon, No. 9 Dordt (Iowa) and No. 10 Oklahoma City.
Mark your calendars for Friday, November 22, because that’s when the 2024 NAIA Cross Country Championships will be held at the Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Missouri.
