2015 Men’s Cross Country Coaches’ Top 25 Poll – No. 4 (Oct. 7)
By Scott Barker, Communications and Sports Information Intern
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Southern Oregon Raiders are the No. 1 team in the fourth regular-season NAIA Men’s Cross Country Coaches’ Top 25 Poll, the national office announced Wednesday. The fifth regular-poll will be released on Oct. 14.
Top 25 Highlights (historical information dates back to 1999):
• Southern Oregon is the unanimous No. 1 pick in this week’s installment. The Raiders earn the top spot for the fifth-straight poll after receiving 20 first-place votes and 560 total points.
• There are two new additions to the Top 25 – No. 13 Texas Wesleyan and No. 15 Wayland Baptist (Texas).
• This is the first time Texas Wesleyan is in the Top 25.
• Westmont (Calif.), formerly No. 23, and Cornerstone (Mich.), formerly No. 25, were the only two teams to drop out of this week’s polls.
• College of Idaho highlighted the positive movement, as the Yotes climbed four spots to No. 8.
• Oklahoma City had the biggest drop of the poll, falling 15 spots from No. 4 to No. 19.
• Southern Oregon has been voted in the top 10 in 15-straight polls, dating back to the 2014 Preseason Top 25.
• No. 14 Aquinas (Mich.) has found themselves in the Top 25 for a NAIA-best 150-consecutive polls, dating back to Aug. 22, 2000.
• Only two schools have gone the entire season ranked No. 1 – Oklahoma City (2014) and former NAIA member Malone (Ohio) (2007 & 2008.).
• Southern Oregon has the most No. 1 rankings of all active NAIA Schools, with 35. Former NAIA member Malone has the most all-time No. 1 rankings with 38.
• No. 6 Carroll (Mont.), No. 13 Indiana Wesleyan, No. 2 Lewis-Clark State (Idaho), No. 9 Morningside (Iowa), No. 4 Olivet Nazarene (Ill.), No. Southern Oregon and St. Francis (Ill.) have been ranked in the top 10 all season.
• Cascade Collegiate Conference (Southern Oregon, College of Idaho, No. 23 Oregon Tech and No. 25 Northwest Christian (Ore.)) and Crossroads League (No. 3 Indiana Wesleyan, No. 10 Taylor (Ind.), No. 17 Bethel (Ind.) and No. 24 Marian (Ind.)) leads all leagues with four teams represented.
Poll Methodology:
• The poll was voted upon by a panel of head coaches representing each of the conferences and the Association of Independent Institutions.
• The Top 25 is determined by a points system based on how each voter ranks the best teams. A team receives 30 points for each first-place vote, 29 for second-place and so on through the list.
• The highest and lowest ranking for each team (a non-rating is considered a low ratings) is removed and the team’s ranking will be recalculated with an additional point added to each team for every ballot (including discounted ballots) that the teams appears on.
• Teams that receive only one point in the ballot are not considered “receiving votes”
• For the complete Top 25 calendar, click
here.
2015 NAIA Men's Cross Country Coaches' Top 25 Poll - No. 4 (Oct. 7)
| RANK |
LAST |
SCHOOL (1ST PLACE VOTES) |
FINAL POINTS |
| 1 |
1 |
Southern Oregon (20) |
560 |
| 2 |
2 |
Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) |
537 |
| 3 |
3 |
Indiana Wesleyan |
521 |
| 4 |
7 |
Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) |
500 |
| 5 |
6 |
St. Francis (Ill.) |
477 |
| 6 |
5 |
Carroll (Mont.) |
464 |
| 7 |
9 |
British Columbia |
445 |
| 8 |
12 |
College of Idaho |
431 |
| 9 |
8 |
Morningside (Iowa) |
421 |
| 10 |
13 |
Taylor (Ind.) |
391 |
| 11 |
11 |
Saint Mary (Kan.) |
383 |
| 12 |
10 |
Indiana Tech |
355 |
| 13 |
RV |
Texas Wesleyan |
347 |
| 14 |
14 |
Aquinas (Mich.) |
314 |
| 15 |
RV |
Wayland Baptist (Texas) |
276 |
| 16 |
16 |
Shawnee State (Ohio) |
275 |
| 17 |
17 |
Bethel (Ind.) |
266 |
| 18 |
18 |
The Master’s (Calif.) |
256 |
| 19 |
4 |
Oklahoma City |
223 |
| 20 |
20 |
Columbia (Mo.) |
205 |
| 21 |
21 |
Dalton State (Ga.) |
178 |
| 22 |
22 |
Dordt (Iowa) |
167 |
| 23 |
15 |
Oregon Tech |
165 |
| 24 |
23 |
Marian (Ind.) |
157 |
| 25 |
19 |
Northwest Christian (Ore.) |
143 |
| |
|
|
|
Dropped from the Top 25: Cornerstone (Mich.) and Westmont (Calif.)
Others receiving votes: Cornerstone (Mich.) 133; Northwestern (Iowa) 77; Westmont (Calif.) 70; SCAD Savannah (Ga.) 65; Bacone (Okla.) 57; Goshen (Ind.) 22; Milligan (Tenn.) 20; Dickinson State (N.D.) 17; Midland (Neb.) 14; Campbellsville (Ky.) 13; Kansas Wesleyan 5; Trinity Christian (Ill.) 3.