KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) released its most recent edition of the Men's Cross Country Coaches' Top 25 Poll for the 2026 season on Thursday morning, where the Corban University remained among the country's elite by checking in at No. 22-overall in the nation.
To view the most recent NAIA Men's Cross Country Coaches' Top 25 Poll, click HERE.
"We didn't have our best performance at the Charles Bowles Willamette Invitational, and thus deserved to fall in the national rankings," shared Corban head coach Stuart Eagon. "Nonetheless, I'm excited for the rest of the season and I believe we are much better than our current placement."
Despite dropping from No. 8 in the previous poll, the Warriors continue to hold a place among the NAIA's top 25 programs as they enter their final stretch of the 2026 season. Corban remains one of six programs from the ultra-competitive Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) currently ranked nationally, joining No. 2 Southern Oregon University, No. 4 College of Idaho, No. 8 Trinity Western University, No. 14 Northwest University, and No. 21 Eastern Oregon University.
The latest ratings come at a critical point in the season as the Warriors prepare for one final regular season race that will help shape both their conference and national postseason outlook. With the CCC Championships and NAIA National Championships drawing closer, Corban will have an opportunity to climb back up the national ladder against high-level competition next weekend at one of their local home courses.
The Warriors entered 2026 carrying momentum from a memorable 2025 campaign, one that saw Corban place 13th as a team at the NAIA Men's Cross Country National Championship while producing NAIA All-American honors from standout runner Jack Gladfelter. That national success helped position the Warriors among the country's most respected distance-running programs entering the current year.
At the top of the poll, the University of the Cumberlands (Ky.) remained the unanimous No. 1 team in the nation, collecting all 19 first-place votes. Southern Oregon held steady at No. 2, while Indiana Wesleyan University, College of Idaho, and The Master's University (Calif.) rounded out the top five.
Corban's position in the rankings reflects the strength of this year's national field, which saw significant movement throughout the top 25. Programs such as Goshen College (Ind.) and Cornerstone University (Mich.) made notable jumps into the top 10, while several others shuffled positions entering the season's stretch run.
NAIA Men's Cross Country Top 25 Poll – October 8th, 2026
Rank Institution [First-Place Votes] Points
1. Cumberlands (Ky.) [19] 559
2. Southern Oregon 535
3. Indiana Wesleyan 521
4. College of Idaho 500
5. The Master's (Calif.) 488
6. Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) 454
7. Tennessee Southern 432
8. Trinity Western (B.C.) 414
9. Goshen (Ind.) 393
10. Cornerstone (Mich.) 387
11. Marian (Ind.) 371
12. Milligan (Tenn.) 346
13. Saint Mary (Kan.) 333
14. Northwest (Wash.) 308
15. Madonna (Mich.) 307
16. St. Francis (Ill.) 296
17. Rio Grande (Ohio) 265
18. Dordt (Iowa) 259
19. Park (Mo.) 231
20. Rocky Mountain (Mont.) 227
21. Eastern Oregon 210
22. Corban (Ore.) 170
23. Taylor (Ind.) 169
24. IU East (Ind.) 147
25. Oklahoma City 110
Receiving Votes: Columbia (Mo.) 88, Montreat (N.C.) 65, Aquinas (Mich.) 36, Oregon Tech 32, Mid-America Christian (Okla.) 25, Benedictine (Kan.) 24, Carroll (Mont.) 17, Doane (Neb.) 14, Haskell Indian Nations (Kan.) 12, John Brown (Ark.) 10, Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) 9, Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) 5, Ave Maria (Fla.) 3, Evangel (Mo.) 3
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