Men's NAIA Championship Field | Men's NAIA Top 25
Women's NAIA Championship Field | Women's NAIA Top 25

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – For the second year in a row and the third time in school history, both the Southern Oregon University men's and women's cross country teams were included in the NAIA Championships field released Monday by the national office.

The races will be held Nov. 21 in Charlotte, N.C., at McAlpine Creek Park. The men's 8,000-meter race will begin at 10:30 a.m. local time, and the women's 5K starts at 11:30 a.m.

The Raider men earned the Cascade Conference's automatic bid for winning their eighth straight title Saturday in Salem behind individual champ Ray Schireman and five more top-12 finishers. They were ranked second in the final NAIA Top 25 poll, which was released Sunday.

The SOU women, who were fourth as a team at the CCC Championships, were ranked 21st in the final poll and received the eight of 12 at-large berths that were handed out. They were also an at-large team last year and in 2010, their only prior team appearance.

The men's field includes 36 teams (with seven individuals and one alternate apiece) and 85 more runners who earned individual berths. Oklahoma City University, the two-time defending champion, will be favored to win again after receiving 11 of 16 first-place votes. SOU, which had been ranked No. 1 all season, garnered four first-place votes and has finished second the last three years.

Three other men's teams from the CCC earned at-large spots: No. 9 College of Idaho and No. 23 Northwest Christian.

The women's field also includes 36 teams along with 82 individuals. The CCC advanced four teams: top-ranked Northwest Christian (which won the conference title and finished second in the NAIA last year), No. 6 College of Idaho, No. 19 Oregon Tech and SOU. The Raiders finished 25th as a team at last year's race, which was won by British Columbia.