ALISO VIEJO, Calif. — The Master's and Embry-Riddle will begin the 2026 women's cross country season ranked inside the national top 10, while Arizona Christian received votes in the NAIA Women's Cross Country Preseason Coaches' Top 25 Rating released Thursday.

The Master's leads the GSAC contingent at No. 7, followed by Embry-Riddle at No. 8. Arizona Christian received votes but finished outside the Top 25.

The No. 7 ranking extends The Master's streak to 39 consecutive national ratings dating to Oct. 1, 2020. The Mustangs have been ranked in 99 ratings all-time and have climbed as high as No. 3 on three occasions, most recently Aug. 22, 2025.

The current streak is the second-longest in program history. The Master's was ranked in a program-record 57 consecutive ratings from Oct. 12, 2011, through Aug. 29, 2018.

The Mustangs enter 2026 as the defending GSAC champion after capturing the 2025 conference title by one point. The Master's returns four runners from its championship team, including All-GSAC performer Saige Miller, while adding five newcomers to the roster.

Embry-Riddle's No. 8 ranking extends the longest active national-ranking streak among GSAC programs to 55 consecutive ratings. The Eagles have appeared in every national rating since Nov. 23, 2017, with the current streak also representing the longest in program history.

Embry-Riddle has climbed as high as No. 4 during the streak, reaching that position three times, most recently Oct. 16, 2025. The Eagles' 55 consecutive appearances also account for all 55 of the program's all-time national rankings.

The Eagles return more than 10 runners from a team that joined The Master's as one of the GSAC's two qualifiers for the 2025 NAIA National Championship. Heidi Donovan, Taryn Janssen, Mia Kemp and Sophia Noriega return after earning All-GSAC honors last season.

Two-time defending national champion Taylor (Ind.) begins the season at No. 1. The Trojans are followed by Milligan (Tenn.) and Dordt (Iowa), which finished second and third, respectively, at the 2025 NAIA National Championship. College of Idaho and Cornerstone (Mich.) round out the preseason top five.

The preseason rating is the first of six scheduled NAIA ratings in 2026. Regular-season ratings will be released Sept. 24, Oct. 8, Oct. 15 and Oct. 29, followed by the final rating Nov. 10, which will help determine at-large qualifiers for the NAIA National Championship.

The 2026 NAIA Women's Cross Country National Championship is scheduled for Nov. 20 in Vancouver, Washington.