KANSAS CITY, Mo. – On the back of a 3-1-0 start that includes a road win over then #6 Indiana Tech, Dalton State men's soccer received votes in the first regular-season edition of the 2026 STADIONIC NAIA Men's Soccer Coaches' Top 25 Poll.
 
The Roadrunners were among 21 programs listed in the receiving-votes category. Dalton State joined fellow Southern States Athletic Conference programs William Carey (Miss.), Life (Ga.), Faulkner (Ala.) and Tennessee Southern in earning recognition.

Movement defined the first regular-season rankings of 2026. Cumberland (Tenn.) rose eight spots into a tie for sixth, Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) advanced eight positions to No. 10 and Rio Grande (Ohio) climbed nine spots to No. 15.

Dalton State will have a chance to move up even further in the next poll should they collect a win over #5 MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) in their next matchup. The Birds will play the Pioneers on a neutral site at Georgia Gwinnett in Lawrenceville on Saturday.
 
From the conference perspective, William Carey made the largest jump among teams ranked in the preseason poll, climbing 12 positions to No. 8 following a 4-0 start. Life moved up two spots to No. 9 with a 2-1 record, while Faulkner entered the Top 25 at No. 22 after opening the season 3-0.

Tennessee Southern joined Dalton State among the teams receiving votes.
 
Oklahoma Wesleyan claimed the No. 1 ranking after starting the season 2-0. The Eagles moved up eight positions and received five first-place votes. Georgia Gwinnett climbed to No. 2, followed by Indiana Tech, William Penn (Iowa) and MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.).
 
BY THE NUMBERS
This is the 112^th NAIA Top 25 Coaches Poll to be released since the men's soccer program has been eligible for national rankings. They have achieved a national ranking or received votes in 84 of the 112 polls. Men's soccer has been ranked #1 on eleven occasions with the last occurring on the October 1, 2025 poll announcement.
 
STADIONIC NAIA Men's Soccer Coaches' Top 25 Poll

Rank	Last	Institution [First-Place Votes]	Record
1	9	Oklahoma Wesleyan [5]	2-0
2	5	Georgia Gwinnett [3]	2-0-1
3	6	Indiana Tech [2]	3-1
4	7	William Penn (Iowa) [1]	1-0-1
5	3	MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) [2]	1-1
T-6	14	Cumberland (Tenn.)	3-0
T-6	2	WVU Tech (W. Va.) [3]	0-0-2
8	20	William Carey (Miss.) [2]	4-0
9	11	Life (Ga.)	2-1
10	18	Lindsey Wilson (Ky.)	1-1
11	15	Keiser (Fla.)	1-0
12	13	Bethel (Ind.)	1-1-2
13	17	John Brown (Ark.)	2-0
14	4	Cumberlands (Ky.)	1-1-1
15	24	Rio Grande (Ohio) [1]	3-0-1
16	19	Indiana Wesleyan	3-0-1
17	1	Grand View (Iowa)	0-1-1
T-18	12	LSU Shreveport (La.)	2-1
T-18	16	Ottawa (Kan.)	1-1-1
20	8	Warner Pacific (Ore.)	2-1-1
21	25	Olivet Nazarene (Ill.)	2-0-1
22	RV	Faulkner (Ala.)	3-0
23	22	Grace (Ind.)	2-2
24	RV	Union Commonwealth (Ky.)	2-0
25	RV	Xavier (La.)	2-0

 
Dropped out of the Top 25: Baker (Kan.), Bethel (Tenn.) and Madonna (Mich.)
 
Receiving votes: Baker (Kan.), Benedictine (Kan.), Bethel (Tenn.), Central Methodist (Mo.), Clarke (Iowa), Dalton State (Ga.), Eastern Oregon, Harris-Stowe State (Mo.), Holy Cross (Ind.), LSU Alexandria (La.), Madonna (Mich.), Mid-America Christian (Okla.), Milligan (Tenn.), Rocky Mountain (Mont.), Southeastern (Fla.), Southern Oregon, Spring Arbor (Mich.), St. Thomas (Fla.), Stanton (Calif.), Tennessee Southern and Westcliff (Calif.).
 
SSAC Teams Recognized

• No. 8: William Carey (Miss.)
• No. 9: Life (Ga.)
• No. 22: Faulkner (Ala.)
• Receiving votes: Dalton State (Ga.)
• Receiving votes: Tennessee Southern.

Poll Methodology

• The national poll is for publicity purposes only and does not influence the selection process for national championship consideration.
• A panel of head coaches representing each conference and the Continental Athletic Conference (Independents) votes in the poll.
• The Top 25 teams are selected using a points-based system:
  • 30 points for a 1st-place vote, 29 for 2nd, 28 for 3rd, and so on.
• The highest and lowest rankings received by each team are discarded before final tallying.
• Teams receiving only one point are not listed as "receiving votes."
• For the Preseason Poll, there is no "previous ranking" column since it is the initial poll and differs from the prior rating system. 

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FIND NEWS AND FOLLOW THE BIRDS: News and updates from Dalton State's men's soccer team are posted on dsroadrunners.com and on X (@DStateSoccer), Facebook (@DStateSoccer) and Instagram (daltonstatesoccer). Be sure to follow to keep pace with the Birds!  
 
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