Warriors ranked in NAIA coaches' poll for first time ever

OLATHE, Kan. - Following their first team victory ever, Corban College men's cross country team finds themselves ranked No. 29 in the nation this week, as announced by the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics’ (NAIA) national office.

Fellow Cascade Collegiate Conference members Southern Oregon (No. 15) and Albertson (No. 20) find themselves in the top 25, while Corban is only 10 votes behind Spring Arbor (Mich.) at No. 25.

“This is a real honor,” said third-year head coach Norm Berney.  “The guys have been running really hard this year and they deserve to be put among the nation’s elite.”

Two weeks ago, the Warriors ran in the Lewis & Clark Invitational and behind the 1st place individual finish of junior Nathan May (Phoenix, Ore.), Corban brought home their first-ever team title.  The Warriors finished almost three minutes ahead of the second place team, Linfield College, as 5-out-of-13 runners finished in the top 20 individually.

Almost month ago, the Warriors opened their season at the Boxer Rebellion, which was hosted by Pacific University, and finished fourth overall, as sophomore Chad Hunsucker (Polson, Mont.) led the Warriors with 6th place finish individually in a time of 27:07.92.

Corban returns to the course this week when they take part in The Bowles Invitational, which is the largest cross country meet on the West Coast, on Saturday, October 1st, beginning at 10:00 a.m.  The Bowles Invitational is hosted by Willamette University and is being held at Bush Park in downtown Salem.

For the complete NAIA men's cross country coaches' poll, click here.