The final weekend of the NAIA men’s cross country regular season has arrived, and conference titles are the prize across the country over the next three days as teams make their final push toward the national championship meet.

The Top 5

The latest Top 5 from the NAIA Men’s Cross Country Coaches’ Top 25 Rating, released last week, is as follows.

Cumberlands (Ky.) — The Patriots grabbed all of the top votes after a first-place finish at the NAIA Appalachian Challenge on Oct. 23. Luca Madeo paced Cumberlands by placing second in the event in a new program mark of 23:33.8, while James Ndayishimiye placed third with a mark of 24:03.73. Noah Loser earned the fourth spot with a time of 24:05.24, and Colin De Julio was fifth with a mark of 24:08.23.

Madonna (Mich.) — The Crusaders moved up three spots to No. 2 in the latest rating after a first-place finish at the NAIA Great Lakes Challenge. Mehdi Nait Hamoud led the way with a runner-up finish in the event with a time of 24:09.3, as all five runners placed in the top 13. Adem Bouldjad earned a fourth-place finish with a mark of 24:21.0, and Yasser Soualah earned fifth place with a mark of 24:21.6.

Southern Oregon — The Raiders slipped a spot to No. 3 in the rating despite winning the Blazing Tiger NAIA Classic. Mason Weisgerber led the way for Southern Oregon with a third-place finish in a time of 24:42.6, while Carter Stedman earned sixth place with a mark of 25:03.6, and Andrew Rush finished right behind his teammate with a time of 25:05.8.

The Master’s (Calif.) — The Mustangs maintained the No. 4 position after being off last week. The Master’s had a seventh-place finish at the UCR Highlander Invitational on Oct. 17th. Andrew Fastrup paced The Master’s efforts with a 14th-place finish in a time of 24:12.3, while Elijah Lovett earned 44th place with a mark of 24:39.1, with Hunter Roy finishing inside the top 50 in 48th with a time of 24:42.5.

Marian (Ind.) — The Knights moved up five spots to No. 5 following a second-place finish at the NAIA Great Lakes Challenge. Tristan Trevino led the Marian efforts with a third-place finish in the event with a time of 24:15.7, while Charles Leedke earned sixth place with a mark of 24:24.10. Benjamin Riehle placed in the top 25 with a 23rd-place finish with a time of 24:49.6.

Coaches’ Top 25 Rating

The latest rating, Rating 4, was released on Oct. 29, 2026, following Rating 1 on Sept. 24, Rating 2 on Oct. 8 and Rating 3 on Oct. 15. The Final Rating will be released on Nov. 10.

Leading the Pack

The times of the top runners in the country are still tightly bunched together as we head into conference championship weekend.

8k Course: Mohamed Guled of Mid-America Christian (Okla.) remains the only runner in the NAIA to run a sub-23:00, as he set a new program record mark at the DBU Old Glory Gallop with a time of 22:53.8. Jack Gladfelter of Corban (Ore.) is 33 seconds behind Guled after running the Linfield George Oja Invitational in a time of 23:26.0. Frank Kipruto of Tennessee Southern has the third-fastest time in the NAIA with a mark of 23:30.7 at the CBU Invite. Luca Madeo of Cumberlands (Ky.) moved into the top four with a time of 23:33.8 at the NAIA Appalachian Challenge.

6k Course: The top times remain unchanged in this distance as College of Idaho holds the top three spots at this distance, with Isaac Anttonen leading the way with a time of 18:17.4 at the Linfield Harrier Classic. Ben Hugaboom is just two seconds behind his teammate with a mark of 18:19.3, and Oclan Ryan has the third-best mark of 18:19.5, both also at the Linfield Harrier Invite. Cumberlands (Ky.) Collin De Julio has the fourth-fastest time in the NAIA with a mark of 18:32.3 at the Indiana Wesleyan Twilight.

5k Course: Caleb Sarsland of Dickinson State (S.D.) still holds the fastest mark in the distance with a time of 14:49.0 at the Augustana Twilight Meet, while Josiah Jaquith of Northwest (Wash.) has the second-best time of 14:59.4 at the Puget Sound Invitational. Mehdi Nait Hamoud of Madonna (Mich.) has a time of 15:04.5 to put himself in third place in the country at this distance.

Upcoming Schedule

Conference titles are on the line this weekend, as this will be the final tune-up for the NAIA National Championship.

Sooner Athletic Conference Championship — Saturday, Nov. 7, Siloam Springs, Ark.: The meet will feature two of the top runners in the NAIA this fall as Mohamed Guled from Mid-America Christian (Okla.) and Ayenew Devany of Oklahoma City will battle for the individual crown. Oklahoma City will look to claim their 10th straight team title.

Mid-South Championships — Friday, Nov. 6, Bowling Green, Ky.: Cumberlands (Ky.) will be the team to beat as they hold the top 11 fastest times in the conference, with Luca Madeo leading the pack with the top time in the conference this fall. Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) and Bethel (Tenn.) will also be in the mix for the team title.

Wolverine-Hoosier Championship — Friday, Nov. 6, Grand Rapids, Mich.: Madonna (Mich.) will be the team to watch in the event as Mehdi Nait Hamoud will lead the Crusaders’ efforts. Cornerstone (Mich.) and Aquinas (Mich.) will also be competing for the team crown after a solid fall season for both.

Cascade Collegiate Conference meet — Friday, Nov. 6, Lewiston, Idaho: This will be a loaded field with Southern Oregon, Corban (Ore.), and College of Idaho competing for the team title. Jack Gladfelter of Corban has the top time in the conference this fall, while Justin Kiplagat of Trinity Western (B.C.) is the second-fastest runner in the Cascade this season.

Additionally, the 2026 NAIA Men’s Cross-Country Selection Show will be on Tuesday, Nov. 10, starting at 4 p.m. CT on the NAIA YouTube page. The Championship Meet will take place on Nov. 20 at the Fort Vancouver National Historic Site in Vancouver, Wash., starting at 10:30 a.m. PT.

Runner of the Week

Notebook #5 does not name a new Runner of the Week; its Runners of the Week section lists the season’s weekly honors from Sept. 9 through Oct. 21.

Source: NAIA Men’s Cross Country Notebook #5, published November 5, 2026, on NAIA.org.

Read Next

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