KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The University of Tennessee Southern men's cross country program has achieved a historic milestone, earning votes for the first time in school history in the 2025 NAIA Men's Cross Country Preseason Coaches' Top 25 Poll, released by the NAIA national office on Thursday.
The Firehawks enter the 2025 season coming off one of the strongest years in program history, highlighted by a runner-up finish at the 2024 Southern States Athletic Conference Championship. Sophomore standout Bruno Villazón claimed the individual SSAC championship and went on to place 42nd overall at the NAIA National Championship in Columbia, Mo.
UT Southern collected 15 points in the preseason poll, placing them among a select group of programs just outside the Top 25. The Firehawks join a highly competitive national field as teams across the country set their sights on Tallahassee, Fla., where the season will conclude with the 70th Annual NAIA Men's Cross Country National Championship at Apalachee Regional Park on November 21.
2025 NAIA Men's Cross Country Preseason Coaches' Top 25 Poll
| Rank |
Institution |
Points |
| 1 |
The Master's (Calif.) |
496 |
| 2 |
Milligan (Tenn.) |
486 |
| 3 |
Taylor (Ind.) |
471 |
| 4 |
Cumberlands (Ky.) |
465 |
| 5 |
Marian (Ind.) |
421 |
| 6 |
Spring Arbor (Mich.) |
409 |
| 7 |
College of Idaho |
382 |
| 8 |
Indiana Wesleyan |
365 |
| 9 |
Corban (Ore.) |
363 |
| 10 |
Saint Mary (Kan.) |
338 |
| 11 |
Eastern Oregon |
333 |
| 12 |
Carroll (Mont.) |
331 |
| 13 |
Indiana-East |
324 |
| 14 |
Doane (Neb.) |
307 |
| 15 |
Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) |
254 |
| 16 |
Aquinas (Mich.) |
238 |
| 17 |
Rocky Mountain (Mont.) |
230 |
| 18 |
Dordt (Iowa) |
219 |
| T-19 |
Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) |
177 |
| T-19 |
Montreat (N.C.) |
177 |
| 21 |
Goshen (Ind.) |
113 |
| 22 |
Southern Oregon |
112 |
| 23 |
Kansas Wesleyan |
110 |
| 24 |
Shawnee State (Ohio) |
107 |
| 25 |
Rio Grande (Ohio) |
100 |
Receiving Votes
St. Francis (Ill.) — 93
Trinity Western (B.C.) — 84
Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) — 68
Mount Mercy (Iowa) — 31
Our Lady of the Lake (Texas) — 30
Cornerstone (Mich.) — 16
Tennessee Southern — 15 (First time in program history)
Columbia (Mo.) — 8
SCAD Atlanta (Ga.) — 8
Indiana Tech — 6
Montana Tech — 6
SCAD Savannah (Ga.) — 5
Bellevue (Neb.) — 2
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