Both Kansas Wesleyan Women's and Men's Cross Country teams earned a spot in the NAIA Preseason Polls released by the national office on Thursday.
 
The Coyote women, coming off a 15^th place finish at the NAIA National Championship last season and the program's first KCAC Championship since 2013, are ranked No. 18 in the poll.
 
Wesleyan's men were just outside the Top 25, landing in the receiving votes category.
 
Taylor (Ind.) was the top ranked team on the women's side earning 557 points and 16 of 20 possible first-place votes in the poll.
 
The KCAC had two other women's teams recognized in the poll with Saint Mary ranked No. 16 and Evangel receiving votes.
 
On the men's side, Cumberlands (Ky.) is the top-ranked team in the poll, just edging out defending National Champion Indiana Wesleyan by two points. The Patriots received 542 points and 10 first-place votes while IWU received 540 points and seven first-place votes.
 
Saint Mary was the only other KCAC team recognized in the men's poll, ranked No. 15.
 
KWU opens the 2026 cross country season on August 27 at the Terry Masterson Twilight Classic hosted by Hutchinson Community College in Hutchinson.
 
NAIA Top 25 Women's Poll
 

RANK	INSTITUTION [FIRST-PLACE VOTES]	POINTS
1	Taylor (Ind.) [16]	557
2	Milligan (Tenn.) [1]	533
3	Dordt (Iowa) [2]	532
4	College of Idaho [1]	504
5	Cornerstone (Mich.)	460
6	Marian (Ind.)	452
7	The Master's (Calif.)	449
8	Embry-Riddle (Ariz.)	441
9	Indiana Wesleyan	403
10	Southern Oregon	383
11	Cumberlands (Ky.)	363
12	St. Francis (Ill.)	356
13	Benedictine (Kan.)	324
14	Oklahoma City	317
15	Grace (Ind.)	302
16	Saint Mary (Kan.)	286
17	Olivet Nazarene (Ill.)	278
18	Kansas Wesleyan	272
19	Carroll (Mont.)	247
20	Eastern Oregon	224
21	Lewis-Clark State (Idaho)	174
22	Aquinas (Mich.)	172
23	Montreat (N.C.)	167
24	Rio Grande (Ohio)	166
25	SCAD (Ga.)	85

Receiving Votes: Mount Mercy (Iowa), Governors State (Ill.), Montana Tech, Missouri Baptist, IU East (Ind.), Saint Francis (Ind.), Morningside (Iowa), Our Lady of the Lake (Texas), Trinity Western (B.C.), William Carey (Miss.), Arizona Christian, Evangel (Mo.), St. Ambrose (Iowa)
 
 
 
NAIA Top 25 Men's Poll
 

RANK	INSTITUTION [FIRST-PLACE VOTES]	POINTS
1	Cumberlands (Ky.) [10]	542
2	Indiana Wesleyan [7]	540
3	Southern Oregon	522
4	Milligan (Tenn.) [1]	499
5	The Master's (Calif.) [2]	486
6	Corban (Ore.)	436
7	College of Idaho	434
8	Marian (Ind.)	405
9	Embry-Riddle (Ariz.)	404
10	Trinity Western (B.C.)	395
11	Taylor (Ind.)	357
12	Madonna (Mich.)	355
13	Eastern Oregon	353
14	Rocky Mountain (Mont.)	345
15	Saint Mary (Kan.)	334
16	Goshen (Ind.)	323
17	Park (Mo.)	280
18	Rio Grande (Ohio)	225
T-19	Carroll (Mont.)	200
T-19	Doane (Neb.)	200
21	Mid-America Christian (Okla.)	164
22	Cornerstone (Mich.)	153
23	Montreat (N.C.)	135
24	St. Francis (Ill.)	123
25	Spring Arbor (Mich.)	117

Receiving Votes: IU East (Ind.), Tennessee Southern, Aquinas (Mich.), Northwest (Wash.), Dordt (Iowa), Columbia (Mo.), Oklahoma City, Ave Maria (Fla.), Haskell Indian Nations (Kan.), Oregon Tech, Kansas Wesleyan, Benedictine (Kan.), Concordia (Neb.), John Brown (Ark.), Mount Mercy (Iowa).