KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- For the first time in program history, the John Brown University women's cross country team is nationally ranked, as the Golden Eagles debuted at No. 24 in the NAIA Women's Cross Country Coaches' Top 25 Rating released Thursday morning (Sept. 24) by the national office.
John Brown collected 169 points in the first regular-season rating of 2026, becoming one of three programs to enter the Top 25. IU East (Ind.) joined the rating at No. 20, while Mount Mercy (Iowa) debuted at No. 25. JBU joins No. 16 Oklahoma City as one of two Sooner Athletic Conference programs among the nation's top 25.
"I couldn't be more excited for the ladies," director of cross country and track and field Peter Cunningham noted. "They've put in so much hard work physically, mentally and spiritually, and this is an exciting and important milestone for our program. It's worth celebrating, but two things remain true: There's more work to be done, and Jesus is still on the throne."
The breakthrough follows several recent appearances just outside the National Top 25. John Brown first received votes in the Oct. 5, 2023, national rating with 24 points, then appeared among teams receiving votes in the 2024 preseason poll and both the 2025 preseason and first regular-season ratings. Thursday's No. 24 ranking marks the first time the Golden Eagles have moved from receiving votes into the nation's 25 top-rated programs.
The historic ranking follows a two-meet opening stretch in which the Blue and Gold lowered the program's 5K team-time record in consecutive races.
JBU opened the season Sept. 3 at the Rogers State (Okla.) Distance After Dark with a then-program-record 1:37:30, finishing seventh in the 17-team field. Eight days later, the Golden Eagles took another 1:30 off the standard at Missouri State's Queen City After Dark, posting a 1:36:00 team time and scoring 135 points to place fourth among 13 teams.
John Brown was the highest-finishing NAIA program in Springfield and finished 15 points ahead of preseason No. 18 Kansas Wesleyan.
Sophomore Abigail Stucker has paced the Golden Eagles in both races, opening with an 18:13 performance in Tulsa before breaking the individual program 5K record with a 17:44 fifth-place finish at Queen City. The latter performance earned Stucker both Sooner Athletic Conference and NAIA Women's Cross Country Runner of the Week honors, making her the first JBU women's runner to collect the national weekly award.
The early-season surge has also featured a young scoring group around Stucker. Four freshmen completed John Brown's top five in Springfield, with Allie Robertson finishing 22nd in 19:02, Layla Maline taking 36th in 19:31, Emma Hunt crossing 42nd in 19:44 and Vivian Sindelar placing 48th in 20:03.
The No. 24 Golden Eagles return to competition Saturday (Oct. 3) at the Chile Pepper Festival at Agri Park in Fayetteville, Ark. The women's race is scheduled for 12:10 p.m.
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