August 21, 2025
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The 2025 NAIA Men’s Cross Country season begins next weekend, headlined by four Frontier Conference teams listed in the Coaches’ Preseason Top 25 national poll.
The NAIA preseason Top 25 is the first step in a march toward Tallahassee, Fla., in the 70
th annual Men’s Cross Country National Championship at Apalachee Regional Park on Nov. 21.
Carroll (Mont.), Montana Tech, Montana Western, and MSU-Northern will be running in the NCAA Division I meet, Montana State Bobcat Twilight meet in Bozeman, Mont., on Friday, Aug. 29.
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12. Carroll (Mont.), 331 points
The Fighting Saints edged Rocky Mountain (Mont.) in an exciting finish in last year’s conference meet, winning the fourth straight conference title by one point. Carroll then finished the season strong by placing 12th at the NAIA Men’s Cross Country National Championship in Columbia, Mo. CC returns the top two individual place finishers, including the individual champion Zach Gacnik and runner-up Oliver Morris to this year’s squad. Gacnik finished 18th at the 2024 national meet, earning the NAIA All-America status. Carroll was the coaches’ preseason pick to win their fifth straight conference title. |
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17. Rocky Mountain (Mont.), 230 points
Rocky Mountain earned the at-large invitation as a team to compete at the 2024 NAIA Men’s Cross Country National Championship. The Battlin’ Bears have five runners that placed in the conference meet’s top 10 returning this season—Corbyn Svec, John Spinti, Ashtyn Rask, Matthew Conrad, and Zach Zwiesler. RMC placed 24th in the 2024 NAIA national meet.
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RV. Montana Tech, 6 points
The Orediggers were third in last year’s Frontier Conference meet, led by Benjamin Zerr (placed fourth) and Derek Schultz (placed tenth). Both Zerr and Schultz ran at the NAIA national meet in Columbia. |
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RV. Bellevue (Neb.), 2 points
Bellevue (Neb.) won their first men’s cross-country title in program history last season and finished 32nd at the NAIA national meet. The Bruins return three runners that placed in the top 10 in the North Star Athletic Association conference meet, led by individual winner Xavier Mallow. Ronald Kipyegon followed up with a runner-up honor, while Jose Lara placed seventh in the conference meet. |