KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Two teams from the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) were ranked in the Top 15 in the 2025 NAIA Women's Cross Country Preseason Coaches' Poll, the national office announced Thursday.
The University of Saint Mary was ranked No. 5 in the preseason poll, and was joined by Kansas Wesleyan University, who earned the No. 13 spot in the poll.
The next edition of the NAIA Women's Cross Country Coaches' Poll will be released Monday, September 22.
Ratings Methodology
- The rating is rated by a panel of head coaches representing each of the conferences and unaffiliated groupings.
- The Top 25 is determined by a points system based on how each rater rates the best teams. A team receives 30 points for each first-place vote, 29 for second-place, 28 for third-place and so on through the list.
- The highest and lowest ratings for each team (a non-rating is considered a low rating) are removed. The team’s rating will be recalculated with an additional point added to each team for every ballot (including discounted ballots) that the team appears on.
- Teams that receive only one point in the ballot are not considered “receiving votes”.
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1. Taylor (Ind.), 507 points
Led by the NAIA's 2024 individual national champion and USTFCCCA Women's Athlete of the Year Jaynie Halterman, the Trojans finished second at the 2024 NAIA Women's Cross Country National Championship - by a point - and are the top-rated team in the Crossroads League in 2025. Three-time NAIA All-American Noel VanderWall also returns, edging Taylor into the top spot.
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2. Milligan (Tenn.), 488 points
Ellen-Mary Kaerney returns to lead the top-rated team in a tough Appalachian Athletic Conference, joined by returning All-Americans Alyssa Bearzi and Kirsten Geary. The Buffs finished fourth at the 2024 NAIA Women's Cross Country National Championship, in Columbia, Mo.
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3. The Master's (Calif.), 475 points
Looking to defend first place at last season's championship, the 2024 NAIA Women's Cross Country National Champion Mustangs are the top-rated team in the Great Southwest Athletic Conference.
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4. Cumberlands (Ky.), 436 points
A year after recording their best performance at the national championship in program history, the Patriots bring back a solid core of returners and a load of new talent, vaulting UC atop the Mid-South Conference preseason rating for the 2025 season.
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5. Saint Mary (Kan.), 434 points
The Spires were third at last season's national championship in Columbia, brining back Josie Tyrell, who finished 31st at last year's championship. USM has won eight of the last 11 KCAC women's cross country titles, including five consecutive crowns.
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6. Marian (Ind.), 407 points
The second-ranked team in a loaded Crossroads League, the Knights are led by returning All-American Katie Woods, who finished third individually at last year's championship. Marian lost just one runner off of last season's team that finished 12th at the 2024 NAIA Women's Cross Country National Championship.
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7. Grace (Ind.), 382 points
The Lancers are the third-ranked team in the Crossroads League preseason, bringing a veteran team into the 2025 season after an eighth-place finish at last year's 2024 NAIA Women's Cross Country National Championship.
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8. SCAD Savannah (Ga.), 380 points
Led by returning All-American Talia Sullivan, the Bees look to take a step forward in 2025 after finishing fourth at the 2024 NAIA Women's Cross Country National Championship in Columbia. SCAD Savannah enters 2025 as the top-ranked team in The Sun Conference preseason.
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9. Dordt (Iowa), 364 points
The top-rated team from the Great Plains Athletic Conference, the Defenders have the GPAC champion and runner-up in Corinne Braun and Isabella Webb, who both competed at the 2024 national championship, where Dordt finished eighth.
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10. Montreat (N.C.), 359 points
Last season's fifth-place team at the national championship, Montreat brings back three NAIA All-Americans for the 2025 campaign, including Appalachian Athletic Conference Runner of the Year Heather Murphy, alongside Macy Parks and Carlyn Bobo. The Cavaliers are rated second in the AAC preseason.
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| RANK |
INSTITUTION |
POINTS |
| 11 |
Indiana Wesleyan |
342 |
| 12 |
College of Idaho |
329 |
| 13 |
Kansas Wesleyan |
307 |
| 14 |
Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) |
305 |
| 15 |
Cornerstone (Mich.) |
271 |
| 16 |
Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) |
252 |
| 17 |
Aquinas (Mich.) |
216 |
| 18 |
SCAD Atlanta (Ga.) |
212 |
| 19 |
Southern Oregon |
201 |
| 20 |
Eastern Oregon |
170 |
| 21 |
Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) |
132 |
| 22 |
St. Francis (Ill.) |
123 |
| 23 |
Montana Tech |
121 |
| 24 |
Carroll (Mont.) |
87 |
| 25 |
Oklahoma City |
86 |
Receiving Votes: Benedictine (Kan.) 79, Mount Mercy (Iowa) 77, Saint Francis (Ind.) 65, Rio Grande (Ohio) 46, Mount Vernon Nazarene (Ohio) 15, Huntington (Ind.) 11, Saint Mary (Neb.) 11, Indiana Tech 8, Dakota State (S.D.) 7, Doane (Neb.) 6, Shawnee State (Ohio) 5, William Carey (Miss.) 5, John Brown (Ark.) 3, Our Lady of the Lake (Texas) 3.
—KCAC—