2025 NAIA Women’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll – Week 5
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Anything can happen when the gun goes off, but if the NAIA Women’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll is to believed, then Taylor (Ind.) is the favorite to walk away with the national title come next Friday in Tallahassee, Florida.
NAIA — Women's Cross Country
This Week's National Top Five
1
Taylor (Ind.)
Taylor (Ind.)
2
Milligan (Tenn.)
Milligan (Tenn.)
3
College of Idaho
College of Idaho
4
Cornerstone (Mich.)
Cornerstone (Mich.)
5
The Master's (Calif.)
The Master's (Calif.)
Cross Country Polls & Rankings
The Trojans hauled in 15 of 18 possible first-place votes from the electorate in the final poll of the season. Taylor (Ind.) comes into the climactic meet having just won the team title at the Crossroads League Championships. The Trojans have the presumptive individual favorite in Jaynie Halterman, who has yet to lose against NAIA competition in her career. If Taylor (Ind.) is to win, it would be the second team title in program history.
Milligan (Tenn.) is expected to be Taylor (Ind.)’s biggest thread next Friday. The Buffaloes, led by two-time M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week Ellen-Mary Kearney, earned the three remaining first-place votes. Milligan (Tenn.) most recently won the team title at the Appalachian Athletic Conference Championships. The Buffaloes have one national team title to their name, coming in 2021.
Other podium contenders include No. 3 College of Idaho, which won the 2023 national title, No. 4 Cornerstone (Mich.), and defending champion No. 5 The Master’s (Calif.), among others.
