Men's Cross Country 11/20/2025 3:17:00 AM by the Dordt University Athletic Communications Office

Men's Cross Country - NAIA Championship Preview

two members of the Dordt University men's cross country team, Truman Johnson and Luke Swanson, will compete in the 2025 NAIA Cross Country Championship this weekend in Tallahassee, Fla.
the 8K championship race will be held on Friday morning, Nov.21, at 8:30am (CST) at Apalachee Regional Park
this is the 70th annual NAIA Championship event for the men
Head Coach Nate Wolf Interview |

the 70th annual men's championship features 36 teams and 74 individual qualifiers from across the NAIA
- 23 automatic qualifiers (through conference affiliation)
- 13 at-large bids (determined by the final edition of the 2025 NAIA Men's Cross Country Top 25 Coaches' Rating, reviewed by the rating's Oversight Committee)
- 74 individuals, based on scoring finish in conference championships
Doane is the lone team from the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) in the field
Truman Johnson and Luke Swanson will compete as individuals for the Defenders; they are joined by Vaughn Hendrickson (Concordia) and Caleb Tofteland (Northwestern)
College of Idaho is the defending national champion with Yotes totaling 87 points, just nine ahead of runner-up Milligan (Tenn.)
Evert Silva (Oklahoma City) was the 2024 NAIA Individual Champion, completing the 8K course in 23:14, 30 seconds ahead of Demetris Love (Embry-Riddle)
the top 12 teams from last year's championship return from last year's field; College of Idaho, Milligan, Cumberlands, The Master's, Indiana Wesleyan, St.Mary, Oklahoma City, Taylor, Embry-Riddle, Marian, Eastern Oregon and Carroll
going even further into last year's results, 18 of the top 20 teams return to the field
the Crossroads League and the Cascade Collegiate Conference have the most teams in the field (5)

this is the second time the NAIA Championship will be held in Tallahassee, Fla. at the Apalachee Region Park
the 2022 National Championship was held on this course, won by the Defenders
there have been 14 different sites in the 70-year history of the championship
- Kenosha, Wisconsin has served as the host site the most times (28)

Dordt received votes in the final edition of the NAIA Coaches' poll
2025 Rankings History:
- 18th - preseason
- 22nd - Sept.25
- 25th - Oct.2
- 20th - Oct.16
- RV - Oct.30
- RV - Final
Swanson is ranked 64th and Johnson 67th, based on their respective season-best times

the Defenders won two of their seven meets this season
they finished in the top four in all seven meets
Dordt finished as the GPAC runner-up
the Defenders have placed among the top five in the GPAC in each of the last 18 seasons
three Dordt runners earned all-conference runners by placing in the top 15 at the GPAC Championship
- Johnson (1st), Swanson (5th), Hulstein (9th)
Dordt's Line-Up:
- Truman Johnson
  - 2x time NAIA Qualifier (qualified as alternate last year)
  - season stats:
    - competed in five meets
    - three top 10 finishes
    - 1 win - GPAC Individual Champion
    - runner-up finish at the Sunflower Open, 3rd place at Mount Marty
    - placed in the top 25 in all five meets
  - career stats:
    - 4 top 10 finish, 8 top 25's
  - season / career-best time: 24:45 @ GPAC Championship (2025)
  - ranked 67th in NAIA, 2nd in GPAC (based on season-best time)
- Luke Swanson
  - 3x NAIA Qualifier
    - 2024: 27:03 (289th)
    - 2023: 26:28 (125th)
  - 3x all-conference
    - 5th in 2025
    - 8th in 2024
    - 9th in 2023
  - season stats:
    - competed in four meets
    - 3 top 10's
    - 4th place finish at Sunflower Open, 5th at GPAC, 7th at Holiday Inn Classic
    - placed in the top 25 in all four meets competed in
  - career stats:
    - 7 top 10's, 10 top 25's
  - season / career-best time: 24:44 @ Holiday Inn Express Classic (2025)
  - ranked 64th in NAIA, 1st in GPAC (based on season-best time)

Players Mentioned