KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The 36 team, 82 individual championship field has been announced for the 66th Annual NAIA Men’s Cross Country National Championship that will be held on November 19. The event will take place in Vancouver, Wash.
The Cascade Collegiate Conference – which hosts the 2021 Championship Meet – saw seven teams qualify for the event. Bushnell University picked up the host berth, while No. 10-ranked College of Idaho secured the automatic qualifier after winning the CCC Championship last week. No. 21-ranked Eastern Oregon University, No. 12-ranked Lewis-Clark State College, No. 25-ranked Northwest University, No. 14-ranked Oregon Tech, and No. 17-ranked Southern Oregon University all received at-large berths.
Meet Notes
- This is the sixth year that the championship will be hosted in Vancouver, Wash., at the Fort Vancouver National Historic Championship Course. The Cascade Collegiate Conference serves as the host for the national championship.
- The field is made up of 22 automatic qualifiers, one host berth and 12 at-large berths. For a conference to earn their automatic berth six teams must finish the conference meet with five runners or, in the case of two berths, 12 teams must finish the conference meet with five runners. The second automatic qualifier must also be ranked in the top 30 in the final poll to be awarded automatic qualification.
- Bushnell (Ore.) received the host berth.
- In addition to the team qualifiers and at-large bids, 82 athletes will compete as individual qualifiers.
- The 2020 men's cross country national champion, Taylor (Ind.), returns to the championship this year.
- The race will be broadcast for the second time this year on the NAIA Network. To access the live video stream and purchase a pass CLICK HERE
2021 Men’s Cross Country Team Qualifiers
| School |
Qualification Method |
| Aquinas (Mich.) |
At-large |
| Bushnell (Ore.) |
Host |
| Campbellsville (Ky.) |
Mid-South Conference Runner-Up |
| Carroll (Mont.) |
Frontier Conference Champion |
| College of Idaho |
Cascade Collegiate Conference Champion |
| Cornerstone (Mich.) |
Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Champion |
| Dakota State (N.D.) |
North Star Athletic Association Champion |
| Dordt (Iowa) |
Great Plains Athletic Conference Champion |
| Eastern Oregon |
At-large |
| Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) |
California Pacific Conference Champion |
| Goshen (Ind.) |
At-large |
| Grace (Ind.) |
At-large |
| Grand View (Iowa) |
Heart of America Athletic Conference Champion |
| Huntington (Ind.) |
At-large |
| Indiana Wesleyan |
At-large |
| Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) |
At-large |
| Marian (Ind.) |
At-large |
| Michigan-Dearborn |
At-large |
| Midway (Ky.) |
River States Conference Champion |
| Milligan (Tenn.) |
Appalachian Athletic Conference Champion |
| Missouri Baptist |
American Midwest Conference Champion |
| Montreat (S.C.) |
Appalachian Athletic Conference Runner-Up |
| Northwest (Wash.) |
At-large |
| Oklahoma City |
Sooner Athletic Conference Champion |
| Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) |
Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Runner-Up |
| Oregon Tech |
At-large |
| Our Lady of the Lake (Texas) |
Red River Athletic Conference Champion |
| SCAD Savannah (Ga.) |
The Sun Conference Champion |
| Shawnee State (Ohio) |
Mid-South Conference Champion |
| Southern Oregon |
At-large |
| St. Francis (Ill.) |
Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Champion |
| St. Mary (Kan.) |
Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference Champion |
| Taylor (Ind.) |
Crossroads League Champion |
| The Master's (Calif.) |
Golden State Athletic Conference Champion |
| Westmont (Calif.) |
At-large |
| William Carey (Miss.) |
Southern States Athletic Conference Champion |