2015 NAIA Women’s Cross Country Coaches’ Top 25 Poll – Final (Nov. 8)
By Scott Barker, Communications and Sports Information Intern
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Northwest Christian (Ore.) is in the top spot in the final regular-season edition of the NAIA Women’s Cross Country Coaches’ Top 25 Poll, the national office announced Sunday. The postseason poll will be released on Nov. 26. The NAIA Cross Country National Championships qualifiers will be announced on Monday, Nov. 9 by 5 p.m. CST.
Top 25 Highlights (historical information dates back to 1999):
• Northwest Christian (Ore.) is the unanimous No. 1 team after receiving all 18 first-place votes and a total of 498 points. This marks the third time this season the Beacons are the unanimous No. 1.
• Two new teams join this week’s installment – No. 22 Hastings (Neb.) and No. 25 SCAD Atlanta (Ga.).
• This is the first time in school history that SCAD Atlanta is in the Top 25.
• Hastings finds itself in the Top 25 for the first time since the 2015 Preseason Top 25 Poll when they were No. 22.
• No. 8 The Master’s (Calif.), No. 10 Oklahoma City and No. 20 Morningside (Iowa) moved up three spots each, which highlighted the positive movement.
• Westmont (Calif.) dropped five spots to No. 13 from No. 8.
• Six teams are ranked in the same spot as they were last week.
• Twelve of the 21 conferences are represented in the Top 25.
• The Cascade Collegiate Conference leads all leagues with four teams represented – Northwest Christian, No. 6 College of Idaho, No. 19 Oregon Tech and No. 21 Southern Oregon.
• The Golden State Athletic Conference, Great Plains Athletic Conference and Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference have three teams represented each.
• Former NAIA-member Simon Fraser (B.C.) has the most all-time No. 1 rankings with 40. Northwest (Wash.) leads all active NAIA Schools with 17 No. 1 mentions.
• Only three teams have gone the entire season ranked No. 1 – British Columbia (2013), former NAIA-member Simon Fraser (2005, 2006 and 2007) and Northwest (2003).
• No. 16 Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) makes its 143rd-consecutive appearance in the Top 25, the longest active streak in the NAIA dating back to Sept. 21, 2001.
• Thirty-five teams have been ranked this season.
• Two teams have held the No. 1 ranking in 2015 – British Columbia and Northwest Christian.
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.
| RANK |
LAST |
SCHOOL (1ST PLACE VOTES |
Final Points |
|
|
|
|
| 1 |
1 |
Northwest Christian (Ore.) (18) |
498 |
| 2 |
T2 |
Biola (Calif.) |
480 |
| 3 |
T2 |
Aquinas (Mich.) |
468 |
| 4 |
4 |
Taylor (Ind.) |
446 |
| 5 |
6 |
Carroll (Mont.) |
422 |
| 6 |
5 |
College of Idaho |
416 |
| 7 |
7 |
British Columbia |
399 |
| T8 |
9 |
Indiana Wesleyan |
373 |
| T8 |
11 |
The Master’s (Calif.) |
373 |
| 10 |
13 |
Oklahoma City |
353 |
| 11 |
10 |
Dordt (Iowa) |
350 |
| 12 |
T11 |
Shawnee State (Ohio) |
323 |
| 13 |
8 |
Westmont (Calif.) |
318 |
| 14 |
16 |
Benedictine (Kan.) |
282 |
| 15 |
17 |
Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) |
273 |
| 16 |
15 |
Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) |
271 |
| 17 |
14 |
St. Francis (Ill.) |
244 |
| 18 |
20 |
Milligan (Tenn.) |
213 |
| 19 |
21 |
Oregon Tech |
210 |
| 20 |
23 |
Morningside (Iowa) |
200 |
| 21 |
18 |
Southern Oregon |
170 |
| T22 |
RV |
Hastings (Neb.) |
134 |
| T22 |
22 |
Texas Wesleyan |
134 |
| 24 |
24 |
Saint Xavier (Ill.) |
121 |
| 25 |
NR |
SCAD Atlanta (Ga.) |
97 |
| |
|
|
|
Dropped from the Top 25: Tennessee Wesleyan (No. 29) and Doane (Neb.) (No. 19)
Others receiving votes: Siena Heights (Mich.) 83; Marian (Ind.) 82; Concordia (Neb.) 67; Tennessee Wesleyan 42; Cornerstone (Mich.) 40; Our Lady of the Lake (Texas) 33; Mount Mercy (Iowa) 19; SCAD Savannah (Ga.) 16; Doane (Neb.) 8.