AAC Places Three Teams in Top 20 of NAIA Women's Cross Country Poll

1. Taylor (Ind.)

The Trojans repeat at No. 1, led by Sept. 10 NAIA Runner of the Week Jaynie Halterman, last season's individual national champion. Taylor opened with a win at the Indiana Wesleyan Twilight, returning to competition Friday night (Sept. 26), at the Florida State Cross Country Open in Tallahassee, Fla.

2. Milligan (Tenn.)

Opened the year with back-to-back fourth-place finishes in healthy fields, taking fourth among 20 at the Queen City Invite in Charlotte, N.C., and fourth at the Brevard Cross Country Classic in Brevard, N.C. Next up, the Buffs are at home Friday night (Sept. 26), hosting the Eli Cramer Invitational in Bristol, Tenn. Montreat posted the season's second NAIA Runner of the Week, Heather Murphy, who broke the school's 5K record at the Queen City Invite.

3. Cumberlands (Ky.)

The Patriots started 2025 strong, winning the Berea/Centre Jamboree on Aug. 29 by 21 points, and they backed it up with a strong showing at the Southern Showcase, hosted by Jacksonville State, led by Lea Kunstmann's 18:29.56 5K in a mostly Division I field. Cumberlands returns to the course Oct. 4, taking part in the Greater Louisville Classic, hosted by the University of Louisville.

4. The Master's (Calif.)

The 2024 NAIA women's cross country national champions have three competitions in the books already, in 2025, including a fifth-place finish at home. TMU also earned a sixth-place finish at Biola, where they were the only NAIA program in the field, all after beginning the season with a third-place finish at the Mark Calvert Classic, hosted by Cal State Fullerton, topping Chapman, UNLV, and Southern Nevada while finishing behind Cal State Fullerton and Loyola Marymount. The Mustangs are back in action Oct. 4, at the Pomona-Pitzer Invitational in Claremont, Calif.

5. Indiana Wesleyan

The Wildcats are one meet into the 2025 season, hosting the Indiana Wesleyan Twilight Invitational, where they finished second behind No. 1 Taylor. IWU was led by Sydney Liddle, who finished second, and the Wildcats return to competition Friday night (Sept. 26), in Columbia, Mo., at the Gans Creek Classic, hosted by the University of Missouri, on the course where they finished 10th in last season's NAIA Women's Cross Country National Championship.

6. Marian (Ind.)

Marian was third at the IWU Twilight, 15 points behind No. 5 Indiana Wesleyan, staying at No. 6 in the first regular-season edition of the Top 25. The Knights had a pair of top-five finishers at IWU - Katie Woods second, and Claire Milam fifth. Marian returns to competition Saturday (Sept. 27), at the Lucian Rosa Invite, in Kenosha, Wis.

7. Embry-Riddle (Ariz.)

Three meets into 2025, Embry-Riddle has a pair of fourth-place finishes - at the George Kyte Classic in Flagstaff, and at The Master's - and the Eagles claimed a win at home, in the Embry-Riddle Arizona Invitational. ERAU is off this week before taking part in the Oct. 4 ACU Firestorm Invitational, in Glendale, Ariz. Earlier in the season, at The Master's, Embry-Riddle edged the homestanding and defending national champion Mustangs, who finished fifth.

8. Dordt (Iowa)

The Defenders are two competitions deep in 2025, winning the Sunflower Open at home, in Sioux Center, on Sept. 13, followed by a fifth-place finish in a strong field at the University of Minnesota's Roy Griak Invitational, Sept. 19, at the Les Bolstad Course in Minneapolis, Minn. Hannah Thong won GPAC Runner of the Week accolades after her finish in Minnesota, 15th overall and the top NAIA runner in the field. Dordt is off until Oct. 4, when the Defenders travel to Sioux City, Iowa, for the Briar Cliff Invite at Adams Nature Preserve.

9. College of Idaho

The Yotes have posted two wins to start 2025, claiming the Dr. Thad Scholes Cross Country Classic, in Twin Falls, Idaho, and the Northwest Nazarene Invitational in Nampa, and the College of Idaho is off until Oct. 4, when the Yotes travel to Salem, Ore., and the Willamette Charles Bowles Invite.

10. SCAD Savannah (Ga.)

The Bees slipped two spots to No. 10 despite facing strong opposition early in 2025, placing second at the Charleston Southern Buccaneer Invite, on Aug. 29, totaling 39 points to take second behind Charleston Southern. On Sept. 12, SCAD Savannah returned to South Carolina, this time in Charlotte, where the Bees finished eighth in a field of 20 at the Queen City Invite. The season resumes in Tallahassee, Fla., for SCAD Savannah Friday night (Sept. 26) at the Florida State Cross Country Open.