Malone No. 1 in Men's Poll for 3rd Straight Week
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Malone University (Ohio) will spend its 25th-straight week as the nation's top-ranked squad. The Pioneers earned 622 points and tallied 21-of-22 possible first-place votes in the second installment of the Men's Cross Country Coaches' Top 25 poll, the NAIA announced on Wednesday. Staying put at No. 2 is Aquinas College (Mich.) and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (Fla.) held steady at No. 3. Fourth-ranked Concordia University (Neb.) moves up one spot and Oklahoma Christian propelled from No. 23 to No. 5.
New to this week's poll is sixth-ranked British of Columbia, No. 15 Oklahoma Baptist and No. 20 McKendree (Ill.). British Columbia was unranked a week ago, while Oklahoma Baptist and McKendree were both receiving votes.
The American Mideast Conference boasts three ranked teams in Malone, No. 9 Shawnee State (Ohio) and No. 13 Cedarville (Ohio).
Aquinas earned one first-place vote, but maintains its spot at No. 2 with 596 points. Embry-Riddle is hot on the heels of Aquinas at No. 3 with 585 points. Moving up from No. 5 a week ago, Concordia was awarded 542 points. Oklahoma Christian made a huge stride to No. 5, a leap of 18 spots, with 532 points.
The poll was voted upon by a panel of head coaches representing each of the conferences. The next poll will be released on Sept. 30.