2025 NAIA Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll – Week 5
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Master’s (Calif.) goes into next week’s NAIA Championships as the presumptive favorite, according to the season’s final installment of the NAIA Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll.
Don’t expect the Mustangs to have a cakewalk, though, as the electorate gives Indiana Wesleyan a fair shot at the crown, too.
NAIA — Men's Cross Country
This Week's National Top Five
1
The Master's (Calif.)
The Master's (Calif.)
2
Indiana Wesleyan
Indiana Wesleyan
3
Cumberlands (Ky.)
Cumberlands (Ky.)
4
Taylor (Ind.)
Taylor (Ind.)
5
Saint Mary (Kan.)
Saint Mary (Kan.)
Cross Country Polls & Rankings
The Master’s (Calif.) hauled in 12 of 18 possible first-place votes after a regular season that saw it most recently win the team title at the GSAC Championships with 23 points. Individual champion Jack Anderson continues to lead the Mustangs, just like he has done throughout the season. If The Master’s (Calif.) is to win, it would be its first national title in program history.
Indiana Wesleyan captured the six remaining first-place votes and comes into the NAIA Championships on the heels of a winning effort at the Crossroads League Championships. The Wildcats also posted victories at the Ray Bullock Invitational and the NAIA Great Lakes Challenge, among others. Indiana Wesleyan has yet to win a national title, but did finish runner-up in 2018.
Other podium contenders No. 3 Cumberlands (Ky.), No. 4 Taylor (Ind.), and No. 5 Saint Mary (Kan.), among others.
The 2025 NAIA Cross Country Championships will be held on Friday, November 21, at Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee, Florida.
