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Written by Nolan Ryan, edits & additional commentary via Garrett Zatlin
NOTE: These rankings are based on how a team fared throughout the entirety of a season, not just how they ran at a singular meet or (eventually) at the 2024 NAIA XC Championships. Click here to learn more about our ranking criteria (which was published in 2023).
KEY
(Unranked):
Was not ranked in our last update.
(#/#):
First number indicates how much the team has moved in the rankings.
The second number indicates where the team was ranked in our last update.
25. Indiana East Red Wolves (Unranked)
Finally! Indiana East has been knocking on the door of our rankings for awhile and were somewhat slept on until their showing at the Great Lakes Challenge. They appear to have a low-stick in Cameron Nocton who they can lean on and their 8th place finish last weekend gives them a legitimate reason to be in our top-25.
24. Olivet Nazarene Tigers (Unranked)
This ONU squad did not have a great showing at the Great Lakes Challenge, but they have fairly been consistent so far this year. Even though they got beat by 14 NAIA teams, they had a strong showing at Louisville XC Classic earlier this fall which looks better when you consider how well the teams that they beat in that race have been since. We will give the Tigers the benefit of the doubt as we expect them to peak in the postseason.
23. Grace Lancers (0 / 23)
After seeing Grace finish 11th at the Great Lakes Challenge, it seemed clear that they had some backend vulnerability. Of course, the beauty of having two low-sticks in Brandon Kleber and Cole Johnston is that the Lancers just need serviceable enough depth to remain nationally competitive. We will see if they make a jump at the Crossroads XC Championships against some teams that just beat them this past weekend.
22. St. Francis Fighting Saints (IL) (Unranked)
After being left off out of our last rankings update, St. Francis (IL) needed a race to prove themselves. Sure enough, beating multiple ranked teams and finishing 9th in a stacked field should be the perfect spark for some upcoming postseason momentum. The return of Noah Friske coupled with Reif running up front should position this team to potentially to crack the top-20 on the national stage on a good day.
21. Campbellsville Tigers (Unranked)
A some what inconsistent team may be over ranked at TSR #21, but Campbellsville finished right behind Grace a week ago. They have more upside than a lot of teams thanks to their unique mix of rookies and established veterans. It also doesn't hurt that they have one of the more legitimate lead scorers in the country via Dominic Malel.
20. Shawnee State Bears (+1 / 21)
The Bears had a decent day at the Great Lakes Challenge, finishing 7th overall. They have a strong top-seven that has rotated multiple times this year which exemplifies how reliable their depth is. They should give Rio Grande a fight next week at their conference championship meet.
19. Doane Tigers (-4 / 15)
We'll admit, Doane had a somewhat upsetting performance at their home meet, Blazing Tiger, after getting beat by every ranked team in the NAIA Coaches Poll. They beat Kansas Wesleyan earlier in the year and lost by a significant margin at latest outing. On paper, they haven’t had their best day yet, so something impressive should be coming soon when they all click on the same day.
18. Aquinas Saints (-1 / 17)
After winning the Seminole Stampede the way that they did over Saint Francis a few weeks back, it looked like Aquinas was going to pop a big performance at the Great Lakes Challenge. However, they did not necessarily do that. Even so, with their 6th-place finish on that stage, they showed us that they are for sure a top-20-type of team.
17. Marian (IN) Knights (Unranked)
The Marian squad flew down to The Master’s home meet and, quite frankly, were trounced by them and Embry-Riddle Arizona. However, the Knights' then competed at the Great Lakes Challenge where they absolutely proved that they belong at the national meet via a phenomenal 5th place finish. Marian is either peaking right on time or they just put forth their best race of the season this past weekend.
16. Montreat Cavaliers (+2 / 18)
The Montreat men had a strong showing recently after a racing hiatus. Finishing 3rd at the NAIA Appalachian Challenge shows that they are not a team to play around with come the postseason. They have the potential to have three All-Americans which gives them every reason to push for top-10 contention at the national meet.
15. Kansas Wesleyan Coyotes (+1 / 16)
Finishing pretty close to Dordt in 4th place at Blazing Tiger shows us that this KWU squad is trending in the right direction. They have had multiple lead scorers this year which actually gives us a sense of relief if someone has an "off" day in the postseason. They do, however, need to tighten up their top-five spread a touch (given that they don't have a high-octane low-stick standout) in order to make a push for the top-10 conversation at the national meet.
14. Eastern Oregon Mountaineers (0 / 14)
Truthfully, finishing kind of close-ish to College of Idaho is the only thing that keeps Eastern Oregon in our top-15. They have a really strong low-stick via All-American Justin Ash and they have some guys developing as the season progresses. This team seems to preform well at the end of the fall months which could give them the boost they need right now.
13. Rio Grande Red Storm (-1 / 12)
Finishing runner-up to Indiana Wesleyan at the Great Lakes Challenge makes this Rio Grande team look really, really good. The only reason for not being in the top-10 is that they scored 171 points which is not low enough when you add teams outside of this meet into the top-10 conversation.
12. Lewis-Clark State Warriors (+1 / 13)
Lewis-Clark State has only raced once since our most recent rankings update and it was a modest performance. At their home meet, they didn’t really race any other NAIA ranked opponents, but they looked like their normal selves. They will pack-run and have a chance to really mix it up deeper into the postseason if that pack is high enough in certain fields.
11. Taylor Trojans (0 / 11)
Even though Taylor lost head-to-head to Rio Grande, we have them ranked higher due to the fact that they were missing Harber at their most recent meet. Remember, they tied with Lewis-Clark State at the Gans Creek Classic and had two huge performances among the top-five individual results at the Great Lakes Challenge. On paper, they have the necessary talent to be a top-10 squad.
10. Dordt Defenders (-2 / 8)
Having Ethan Summerhays back in this lineup propelled Dordt to a 3rd place finish at Blazing Tiger. Having a strong finish from Vorster and the Defenders producing solid depth gives us reason to believe that they are trending the right direction. The only reason why they drop in our rankings is due to the performances of other teams.
9. Embry-Riddle Arizona Eagles (+1 / 10)
Having one of the top scorers in the country in Demetris Love Jr. and a great top-three spread gives this team exciting upside. They do, however, need their fourth and fifth scorers to step up in order to make a push for the podium. They finished less than a minute to The Master’s which shows us that they are in the ballpark of where they want to be.
8. Cumberlands (KY) Patriots (+1 / 9)
Finishing one point behind Milligan at the NAIA Appalachian Challenge suggests that these two teams are either, a) not as good as we think they are, or b) that the Patriots should actually be ranked closer to Milligan near our top-five. Cumberlands was missing Asslouj due to a DNF which shows promise if he does return. They have a high chance to land on the podium if they have their full squad, but whether or not we actually see their top group is the biggest question.
7. Spring Arbor Cougars (-1 / 6)
One of the tightest pack-running teams in the NAIA had a breakthrough at the Gans Creek Classic in September. However, the big question for this team after their Great Lakes Challenge performance is, how potent can their collective pack be? It is going to take a faster performance on the same course in three weeks to be in the top-10, so I suppose we shall see.
6. Indiana Wesleyan Wildcats (+1 / 7)
One of the more intriguing teams in the NAIA is Indiana Wesleyan. They boast a national-caliber ace and they won the Great Lakes Challenge, although they seem to only have one true All-American-type guy. That's not to say that another All-American can't emerge for them, but if you only have one All-American, then you will not be on the podium at the national meet.
5. Milligan Buffaloes (-2 / 3)
Milligan has been somewhat hiding out as they typically do until the end of the season. They have Brynn Woodall who is a top-five guy nationally, but only beating Cumberlands by a point shows some vulnerability in a bigger meet. There are some suspicions that they may still be adding pieces, but until then, they have some work to do to retain their status as podium threats.
4. Saint Mary Spires (KS) (0 / 4)
St. Mary has a strong test against the College of Idaho men at Blazing Tiger where they finished runner-up to the 'Yotes. The Spires have a strong low-stick in Dominick Beine, but they'll need to tighten up their top-five time-spread. They show promise and are one jump away from being in the mix for a title if all goes their way.
3. The Master’s Mustang’s (+2 / 5)
The Master’s squad has really been on a roll this year ever since their win at the Larry Young Invitational. They ran strong at the Highlander Invitational and beat Embry-Riddle Arizona, but nobody really knows what their ceiling is. They have strong depth and a great top-two which gives them every right to be in our top-three.
2. Oklahoma City Stars (0 / 2)
The Stars have been quiet this season and have only run their top-seven men twice. After they put on a great showing at the Gans Creek Classic, they only have run at Texas A&M since then. They finished in 15th place, but to be honest, who knows how good that result is with them being the sole NAIA team in that field?
1. College of Idaho Coyotes (0 / 1)
The 'Yotes put on a clinic, scoring 30 points at Blazing Tiger and securing the win over a strong field. Having the elite 1-2-3 punch that they do is extremely impressive, but can the 'Yotes keep up this momentum throughout the rest of the season? Not only that, but can their fourth and fifth runners replicate their success from Blazing Tiger at the national meet?