KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Southern Oregon claims the No. 1 position in the final regular-season NAIA Men’s Cross Country Coaches’ Top 25 Poll, the national office announced Sunday. The national runner-up from a year ago compiled 17 first-place votes and 616 points to earn its 21st all-time No. 1 ranking, good for first among current NAIA institutions and second overall behind former-member Malone (Ohio) (38). 

The Raiders, who had been No. 2 in every previous poll of the 2013 season, earn the top spot after winning the Cascade Collegiate Conference Meet on Nov. 9, with a combined 8-kilometer time of 2:10:12. The Raiders scoring five—who all finished among the top 10 individuals—were led by Eric Avila, who brought home the individual title by covering the 8k course in 25:32. With the victory, Southern Oregon secured an automatic bid to the NAIA National Championships. 

Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) earned 594 points and three first-place votes to claim a season-high No. 2 ranking after unseating defending national champion, and previous No. 1, St. Francis (Ill.) to win the Chicagoland Collegiate Conference Meet on Nov. 9. The Tigers secured an automatic berth to the NAIA National Championships with a combined 8k time of 2:10:17.