2025 NAIA Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll – Preseason
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – They don’t start how they finished last year.
The fourth-, second- eighth-, third-, and tenth-place teams from the 2024 NAIA Cross Country Championships sit first, second, third, fourth, and fifth in the preseason edition of the NAIA Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll in 2025.
NAIA — Men's Cross Country
This Week's National Top Five
1
The Master's (Calif.)
The Master's (Calif.)
2
Milligan (Tenn.)
Milligan (Tenn.)
3
Taylor (Ind.)
Taylor (Ind.)
4
Cumberlands (Ky.)
Cumberlands (Ky.)
5
Marian (Ind.)
Marian (Ind.)
Cross Country Polls & Rankings
No. 1 The Master’s (Calif.) – Finished fourth at last season’s national championship, in Columbia, Mo., the Mustangs are the top-ranked team in the 2025 preseason out of the Great Southwest Athletic Conference. Led by Jack Anderson, who enters his senior season after a fourth-place finish in last year’s championship meet.
No. 2 Milligan (Tenn.) –The second-place team at the 2024 championship, Milligan enters 2025 as the top-ranked team in the Appalachian Athletic Conference. Will be led by returning All-Americans Winston Telford and Bryson Lewis.
No. 3 Taylor (Ind.) – Returns the entire squad after an eighth-place finish in last season’s national championship meet, led by 2024 NAIA all-American Luke Harber. Taylor begins 2025 as the top-ranked team in the Crossroads League.
No. 4 Cumberlands (Ky.) – The top-ranked team in the Mid-South Conference, lost three All-Americans from last season’s team, returning Ryan Ehrler, Noah Loser, and Jon Eades, who were all NAIA championship qualifiers last season. Coming off back-to-back MSC titles, and finished third in last year’s national championship in Columbia.
No. 5 Marian (Ind.) – Up five spots from last season’s finish in the NAIA Men’s Cross Country National Championship, lost just one runner from last season’s top seven, led by returning NAIA All-Americans Tristan Trevino and Charlie Leedke.
Here are the rest of the top 10 teams in the preseason: No. 6 Spring Arbor (Mich.), No. 7 College of Idaho, No. 8 Indiana Wesleyan, No. 9 Corban (Ore.), and No. 10 Saint Mary (Kan.).
The 2025 NAIA Cross Country Championships are set for Friday, November 21, at Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee, Florida. This will be the second time in the past four years that the meet will be held in the Sunshine State.
