KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Both College of Idaho cross country teams were ranked among the elite programs in the nation, each opening among the Top-10 in the preseason NAIA Top-25 Coaches' Poll, released today by the national office.
The Coyote men, coming off consecutive Top-10 finishes at the NAIA Championships, were picked No. 6 in the tabulation, receiving 464 voter points from the 20 conference raters. Defending champ, Oklahoma City, holds the top spot, followed by Columbia (Mo.), Southern Oregon, Lewis-Clark State and St. Francis (Ill.). Two other Cascade Conference schools are in the Top-10, Eastern Oregon at No. 7 and Oregon Tech at No. 10.
For the Lady Yotes, their No. 8 ranking in the poll is the 75th-consecutive week that the team has been in the Top-25 - the longest streak in the NAIA. C of I received 433 voter points from the 20 raters and is one of three CCC schools in the poll - joined by No. 4 Oregon Tech and No. 12 Southern Oregon.
Both teams will compete at home on Saturday in their annual Purple and White intrasquad race, preparing for their season opener next weekend at the College of Southern Idaho.
