The Northwest Missouri State University men's cross country/track & field program has placed fourth in the nation in the USTFCCCA's Program of the Year standings.
Northwest was the top MIAA school that qualified for the Program of the Year award - beating out No. 6 Pittsburg State, No. 9 Washburn and No. 12 Nebraska-Kearney.
Northwest was one of 15 NCAA Division II men's programs to capture national finishes in cross country, indoor track & field and outdoor track & field.
It is the third straight year Northwest has gained a spot in the final standings. Northwest placed No. 8 in the nation in 2023-24 and in 2024-25.
The USTFCCCA Program of the Year Award honors the institution that has achieved the most success in each academic year (spanning the cross country, indoor track & field and outdoor track & field seasons) based on the institution's finish at their respective Championships
In order to be eligible for the award, teams must qualify for each of the Championships. Scoring is based on the team's finish at each Championship in cross country, indoor track & field and outdoor track & field (i.e. 1st = 1 point, 2nd = 2 points … 31st = 31 points) with the lowest total score for all three championships combined determining the award winner. Ties among schools split points for positions taken.
| Rank |
Team |
Head Coach(es) |
XC Rank |
ITF Rank |
OTF Rank |
XC Pts |
ITF Pts |
OTF Pts |
Total POY Pts |
| 1 |
Grand Valley State |
Jerry Baltes |
4 |
2 |
1 |
4 |
2 |
1 |
7 |
| 2 |
Wingate |
Pol Domenech / Jacqueline Kirby |
1 |
3 |
10 |
1 |
3 |
10 |
14 |
| 3 |
Colo. School of Mines |
Chris Siemers / Matt Sparks |
3 |
9 |
11 |
3 |
9 |
11 |
23 |
| 4 |
Northwest Missouri State |
Wick Cunningham / Brandon Masters |
11 |
8 |
6 |
11 |
8 |
6 |
25 |
| 5 |
West Texas A&M |
Zach Daniel / Matt Stewart |
14 |
6 |
8 |
14 |
6.5 |
8 |
28.5 |
| 6 |
Pittsburg State |
Ben Barrows / Kyle Rutledge |
27 |
1 |
2 |
27 |
1 |
2 |
30 |
| 7 |
Adams State |
Damon Martin |
2 |
12 |
16 |
2 |
13 |
16 |
31 |
| 8 |
Saginaw Valley State |
Rod Cowan |
6 |
10 |
18 |
6 |
10.5 |
18.5 |
35 |
| 9 |
Washburn |
David Granato / Cameron Babb |
22 |
21 |
21 |
22 |
22 |
22 |
66 |
| 10 |
Lewis |
James Kearney / Dana Schwarting |
12 |
12 |
41 |
12 |
13 |
41 |
66 |
| 11 |
Lee (Tenn.) |
Caleb Morgan |
10 |
45 |
20 |
10 |
48 |
20 |
78 |
| 12 |
Nebraska-Kearney |
Brady Bonsall |
26 |
45 |
13 |
26 |
48 |
13.5 |
87.5 |
| 13 |
Oklahoma Baptist |
Brain Whitlock / Ford Mastin |
25 |
52 |
17 |
25 |
54 |
17 |
96 |
| 14 |
Embry-Riddle (Fla.) |
Michael Rosolino |
31 |
21 |
58 |
31 |
22 |
60 |
113 |
| 15 |
Roberts Wesleyan |
Andrew Dorr / Mark McCown |
33 |
27 |
50 |
33 |
29 |
53.5 |
115.5 |
