SIOUX CITY, Iowa – The Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) released its men’s cross country preseason poll on Tuesday. Dordt University, the defending men’s conference champion, is the preseason pick for 2025. The Defenders scored 41 points to claim the 2024 league title last fall, with Vaughn Hendrickson from Concordia winning the individual championship in the GPAC. Dordt was picked first with 97 points and seven first-place votes. Receiving the four remaining first-place votes was Doane. Concordia and Northwestern rounded out the top four.
The Raiders took fifth place at last year’s GPAC race and return all but one of their scorers from that race in Alik McIlravy, Ben VanDeBerg, Parker Engel, Isaiah Aragon, Carson Van Sickle, and Ashton Hughes. Northwestern also welcomes a large freshman class of 12 new runners to the fold, looking to make an immediate impact. Northwestern finished second at two meets last season, posting strong performances at the Briar Cliff Invite and Mount Marty Invite.
Below are the full results of the preseason coaches’ poll.
Place Team Points 1st Place Votes
1 Dordt Defenders 97 7
2 Doane Tigers 94 4
3 Concordia Bulldogs 81
4 Northwestern Red Raiders 70
5 Mount Marty Lancers 62
6 Midland Warriors 59
7 Hastings Broncos 43
8 Morningside Mustangs 42
9 Briar Cliff Chargers 21
10 Dakota Wesleyan Tigers 20
11 Waldorf Warriors 16
