KANSAS CITY, Mo. – After earning national runners-up for the second time in three seasons, Northwestern has been ranked No. 2 in the postseason edition of the NAIA Coaches’ Poll. Northwestern has been ranked in 68 consecutive NAIA top 25 polls dating back to the 2016 season, which is second in the nation behind Eastern Oregon. It is the third time that Northwestern has been ranked in the top three of the final poll, joining 2023 and 2009.
Indiana Wesleyan was ranked No. 1 in the poll, followed by Northwestern, Eastern Oregon, Concordia (Neb.), and Corban (Ore.).
GPAC IN THE TOP 25
No. 2 Northwestern Red Raiders
No. 4 Concordia Bulldogs
No. 18 Dakota Wesleyan Tigers
No. 21 Midland Warriors
| TREND | RANK | LAST TIME | INSTITUTION [FIRST-PLACE VOTES] | RECORD | POINTS |
| ▲ | 1 | 8 | Indiana Wesleyan | 33-4 | 510 |
| ▲ | 2 | 3 | Northwestern (Iowa) | 33-4 | 490 |
| ▼ | 3 | 1 | Eastern Oregon | 32-3 | 476 |
| ● | 4 | 4 | Concordia (Neb.) | 28-4 | 450 |
| ● | 5 | 5 | Corban (Ore.) | 27-6 | 439 |
| ▼ | 6 | 2 | Providence (Mont.) | 34-3 | 421 |
| ▼ | 7 | 6 | Bellevue (Neb.) | 29-5 | 409 |
| ▼ | 8 | 7 | McPherson (Kan.) | 34-3 | 399 |
| ▲ | 9 | 10 | Cumberlands (Ky.) | 36-1 | 365 |
| ▲ | 10 | 12 | Mount Vernon Nazarene (Ohio) | 27-9 | 333 |
| ▲ | 11 | 15 | Missouri Baptist | 31-6 | 324 |
| ▲ | 12 | 14 | IU Kokomo (Ind.) | 32-6 | 299 |
| ▼ | 13 | 9 | Oklahoma Wesleyan | 26-5 | 293 |
| ▼ | 14 | 13 | St. Thomas (Fla.) | 27-5 | 281 |
| ▲ | 15 | 19 | Bushnell (Ore.) | 22-13 | 251 |
| ▼ | 16 | 11 | The Master’s (Calif.) | 24-5 | 244 |
| ▲ | 17 | 21 | Aquinas (Mich.) | 33-7 | 224 |
| ▲ | 18 | 25 | Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) | 20-12 | 223 |
| ▼ | 19 | 18 | Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) | 17-10 | 196 |
| ▼ | 20 | 16 | College of Idaho | 19-12 | 191 |
| ▼ | 21 | 20 | Midland (Neb.) | 19-12 | 180 |
| ● | 22 | 22 | Mobile (Ala.) | 30-5 | 120 |
| ▲ | 23 | RV | Cornerstone (Mich.) | 27-9 | 110 |
| ▲ | 24 | RV | Huntington (Ind.) | 25-10 | 100 |
| ▼ | 25 | 17 | Viterbo (Wis.) | 27-7 | 83 |
Receiving Votes: Northwest (Wash.) 44, Park (Mo.) 43, Taylor (Ind.) 35, Southern Oregon 29, Walla Walla (Wash.) 28, Marian (Ind.) 20, Montana-Northern 19, Nelson (Texas) 14, Columbia International (S.C.) 14, Grand View (Iowa) 12, Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) 5, MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) 3, OUAZ(Ariz.) 3, Bethel (Kan.) 2
