2025 NAIA Women’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll – Week 3
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Would you believe us if we told you the 2025 NAIA Cross Country Championships are just five weeks away? Well, they are – and Taylor (Ind.) is still the odds-on favorite to win the national title on Friday, November 21, at Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee, Florida.
The most recent NAIA Women’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll was released on Thursday by the NAIA National Office and featured no movement among the top-four three programs, but a slew of changes to the rest of the index after a busy weekend of racing.
NAIA — Women's Cross Country
This Week's National Top Five
1
Taylor (Ind.)
Taylor (Ind.)
2
Milligan (Tenn.)
Milligan (Tenn.)
3
Cumberlands (Ky.)
Cumberlands (Ky.)
4
Embry-Riddle (Ariz.)
Embry-Riddle (Ariz.)
4
Indiana Wesleyan
Indiana Wesleyan
Cross Country Polls & Rankings
1. Taylor (Ind.)
The Trojans grabbed all but one first-place vote this week after running away with last week’s Ray Bullock Invitational. Taylor took the race by 43 points, as Jaynie Halterman continued her record-setting pace, winning by more than a minute in 20:38. Taylor also had a third and a fourth-place finish from Sam Patterson and Noel Bass. The Trojans close the regular season Oct. 25, at the NAIA Great Lakes Challenge in Michigan.
2. Milligan (Tenn.)
Milligan’s last meet was Oct. 3, at the Firetower Project, hosted by Appalachian State, where The Buffs finished third in a field of 12 – behind App State and William & Mary. Ellen-Mary Kearney was second in the race, with a time of 21:17. Milligan has two more regular-season races on the slate, including Saturday at the Roanoke Cross Country Invitational.
3. Cumberlands (Ky.)
Cumberlands maintained its highest ranking in school history at No. 3, led by Mid-South Runner of the Week Lea Kunstmann, who ran an 18:09 5K in the Patriots’ last race, in Louisville. Cumberlands has one more regular-season event, the NAIA Appalachian Challenge, Oct. 24 in Knoxville, Tenn.
T-4. Embry-Riddle (Ariz.)
The Eagles stayed in position at No. 4 after a win at the ACU Invite, in Glendale, where ERAU claimed the first four spots in the event. Sophia Noriega won the 6K race in 22:45, and the Eagles return to action Oct. 18 at the Highlander Invitational, hosted by UC Riverside.
T-4. Indiana Wesleyan
IWU earned a fourth-place tie with a strong finish at the Ray Bullock Invitational, finishing second behind top-ranked host Taylor. Elizabeth Barrett led the Wildcats, finishing seventh in 22:25, followed by an eighth-place performance from Sydney Liddle in 22:26. IWU has one more regular season event before the Crossroads Championships, Saturday, Oct. 25, at the NAIA Great Lakes Challenge in Grand Rapids, Mich.
Here are the rest of the top-ten teams: No. 6 The Master’s (Calif.), No. 6 Dordt (Iowa), No. 8 Cornerstone (Mich.), No. 9 College of Idaho, and No. 10 Grace (Ind.).
