WOMEN'S TOP 25 | MEN'S TOP 25

Isaac Fernandez, Assistant SID

ASHLAND – The Southern Oregon men's cross country team moved up to No. 19 and the Raider women stayed in the same spot in the first NAIA Top 25 polls since the preseason.  

Bolstered by junior transfer Carter Stedman's front running, the Raider men claimed back-to-back victories at both the Simpson and Jim Hunt Humboldt Invitationals to jump three spots ahead from 22nd. At their latest outing in Humboldt, the Raiders posted a team time of two hours eight minutes and 47 seconds (2:08:47) – their fastest since the 2023 season. Stedman's 8K finish of 24:45 is also the 11th fastest time in the NAIA this year. 

Led by three-time All-American Alyssa Johnson and a new supporting cast of Alaina Casady and Emily Picard, the Raider women stayed in the No. 19 slot after winning the Simpson Invitational and finishing runner-up in Humboldt. However, the Raiders have yet to race at full strength with sophomore transfer Sophia Stubblefield in the lineup. 

The Master's (Calif.) and Taylor (Ind.) remained the No. 1 teams for men and women, respectively. 

On the men's side, four other Cascade Conference squads own top 25 spots: No. 9 Corban, No. 11 Trinity Western, No. 12 College of Idaho, and No. 25 Lewis-Clark State. 

Trinity Western – hailing from British Columbia and joining the CCC this season – only received votes in the preseason. Eastern Oregon dropped out of the top 25 after being ranked No. 11, and Lewis-Clark State fell 10 spots. 

On the women's side, No. 9 College of Idaho, No. 16 Eastern Oregon, and No. 21 Lewis-Clark State are the other CCC representatives. The College of Idaho and Eastern Oregon both climbed up the rankings, jumping up three and four spots respectively.