KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Defending champions The Master's (Calif.) will start the 2026 season as No. 1 after the Mustangs closed the 2025 season at a perfect 27-0. TMU was voted the No. 1 team for all eight ratings during the 2025 season. 

The 2026 season will officially open on January 22, when the 2026 Battle for the Red Banner begins and teams will battle for a spot at the national championship in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. 

RANK	INSTITUTION [FIRST-PLACE VOTES]	2025 RECORD	POINTS
1	The Master's (Calif.) [6]	27-0	100
2	Saint Xavier (Ill.)	31-1	95
3	St. Thomas (Fla.)	25-2	89
4	Georgetown (Ky.)	24-5	74
5	Missouri Valley (Mo.)	22-5	73
6	Missouri Baptist	27-6	65
7	Lawrence Tech (Mich.)	27-3	64
8	Park (Mo.)	20-7	62
9	Campbellsville (Ky.)	23-8	48
10	Benedictine Mesa (Ariz.)	18-7	38
11	Grand View (Iowa)	19-8	35
12	Hope International (Calif.)	16-8	32
12	Mount Mercy (Iowa)	22-8	32
14	Westcliff (Calif.)	17-5	30
15	William Penn (Iowa)	16-11	20

Receiving Votes: Cornerstone (Mich.) 12, OUAZ (Ariz.) 11, Webber International (Fla.) 11, Governors State (Ill.) 9, Indiana Tech 8, Bethel (Ind.) 7, Lourdes (Ohio) 6, Reinhardt (Ga.) 6, Cumberland (Tenn.) 3

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.