The Northwest Conference men’s track & field coaches have weighed in ahead of the 2025 season, and George Fox has been selected as the preseason favorite. The Bruins, who captured the 2024 conference title, earned eight first-place votes to secure the top spot with 64 points in the poll.
Whitworth, the runner-up in last year’s championship, was the only other team to receive a first-place vote. The Pirates finished second in the poll with 57 points, positioning themselves as a strong contender heading into the season.
Pacific edged out Pacific Lutheran for third place, earning 38 points to the Lutes’ 37. Linfield followed closely behind with 35 points, rounding out the top five.
Willamette (30 points), Lewis & Clark (28 points), and Puget Sound (27 points) all finished in a competitive cluster in the middle of the poll, with each team aiming to improve upon last season’s results.
The Whitman distance track group rounded out the rankings with 8 points.
With George Fox looking to defend its conference title and several teams positioned to challenge, the 2025 NWC men’s track & field season is shaping up to be an exciting one. Competition begins this spring as teams set their sights on the NWC Championships. The multi-event championship is scheduled for April 14-15 at George Fox University and the Track & Field Championship will take place April 26-27 at Lewis & Clark College.
(Points awarded on a 8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis. Coaches could not vote for their own teams; numbers in parentheses indicate first place votes)
|
Team
|
Pts.
|
2024 NWC Finish
|
|
George Fox (8)
|
64
|
1st
|
|
Whitworth (1)
|
57
|
2nd
|
|
Pacific
|
38
|
5th
|
|
Pacific Lutheran
|
37
|
3rd
|
|
Linfield
|
35
|
4th
|
|
Willamette
|
30
|
7th
|
|
Lewis & Clark
|
28
|
8th
|
|
Puget Sound
|
27
|
6th
|
|
Whitman
|
8
|
9th
|