BOWLING GREEN, Ky. -- Cumberlands (Ky.) is the lone Mid-South Conference team ranked in the NAIA Men’s Cross Country Preseason Coaches’ Top 25 Poll, NAIA officials announced on Thursday.

The Patriots open the 2025 season ranked No. 4 in the poll with 465 voting points. Cumberlands has won the last two Mid-South Conference championships.

Following their conference title last season, Cumberlands finished third at the NAIA National Championships. The Patriots return three national qualifiers from last season's squad.

Cumberlands begins its season on Friday, Aug. 29, at the Berea (Ky.)-Centre (Ky.) Jamboree in Berea, Ky.

The Master's (Calif.) sits atop the preseason poll with 496 voting points. Milligan (Tenn.) is No. 2 with 486 voting points, followed by Taylor (Ind.) at No. 3 with 471 voting points.

The first regular-season poll is scheduled to be released on Thursday, Sept. 25.

 

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) on which the team appears.

-        Teams that receive only one point in the ballot are not considered “receiving votes”.