KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) has released its preseason men's and women's cross country coaches' polls. Both the Carroll men and women will begin the 2026 season at No. 19 in the national rating.
The Carroll women, fresh off a No. 1 spot in the Frontier Conference coaches' poll, land at No. 19 in the national rank.
The defending conference champions, whose 2025 title marked the fifth in the last six years, are the lone Frontier team to appear inside the nation's top 25. Montana Tech is in the receiving votes portion of the poll.
The Carroll men also appear No. 19 in the NAIA poll, tied at 200 points with Doane (Neb.). The Saints were picked No. 2 in the Frontier poll earlier this week behind Rocky Mountain College, which ended the Saints' four-year streak of consecutive conference championships last fall.
Carroll and Rocky are the only two Frontier teams to appear inside the top 25 ranks, with Rocky occupying the No. 14 spot.
The preseason top 25 is the first of six ratings on the schedule in 2026, including four regular-season ratings – Sept. 24, Oct. 8, Oct. 15 and Oct. 29 – and the final rating, Nov. 10, to determine at-large qualifiers for the 2026 NAIA National Championship, Nov. 20 in Vancouver, Washington.
Both Carroll teams will kick off their 2026 seasons in two weeks, competing at the annual Bobcat Twilight Meet, hosted by Montana State on Sept. 4.
Be sure to visit www.carrollathletics.com for a preview of the meet and for complete coverage of the Fighting Saints all season long.
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Carroll College
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