All-Decade Team: Men's Cross Country

Williamsburg, KY – With 18 NAIA National Qualifiers and three NAIA All-Americans the men’s cross country team has been competitive on both the conference and national levels over the past decade.  The Patriots have finished runner-up at the Mid-South Conference Championships four times in the past decade and have recorded a pair of MSC Freshman of the Year accolades. Lucas Huelvan has led the men’s cross country program posting an impressive career for the Red and Navy, which helped land him a spot on UC’S All-Decade Team.

Huelvan put together one of the most impressive seasons in program history with five top-ten finishes and a top-20 finish at the NAIA National Championships. In his lone season, Huelvan took the Mid-South Conference and NAIA by storm during the fall of 2018.  He set the tone for his season when he opened with a runner-up finish at the Berea College Mike and Mary Kay Invitational crossing the line in 26:20.2.

Huelvan followed that up with a sixth-place finish at the Greater Louisville Classic after he crossed the line with a career-best time of 25:43.63.  The freshman was the third NAIA runner to cross the finish line in the race.  He followed that up by joining an elite club of Patriots that have won a cross country race as he averaged 5:14 per mile to win the Fast Cats Classic.  Huelvan became the first Patriot since 2016 and the 29th runner in program history to take top honors in a race. 

In the final race before the postseason, Huelvan crossed the line at 25:43.63 to place ninth at the NAIA Great Lakes Challenge.  At the Mid-South Conference championships, Huelvan ran 25:51.4 to placed third and earned First Team All-Conference honors.  That performance also earned Huelvan MSC Freshman of the Year accolades making him just the third Patriot to earn this honor.

Huelvan capped off his freshman year by crossing the line in 24:53.5 to placed 18th at the NAIA National Championships.  This is the eighth highest individual finish in program history and the best finish since 2003 when Eric Kweder placed sixth.  Huelvan is one of two Patriot runners to earn All-American honors during the last decade.

In addition to his success on the cross country course, Huelvan shined on the track earned one national title, three NAIA All-American honors, and six MSC All-Conference honors. 

His biggest moment came at the 2019 NAIA Indoor National Championships when he ran 8:31.85 to win the 3,000-meter run and earn ten points for UC.  His performances helped Cumberlands to a fourth-place team finish. 

Huelvan is currently finishing up his degree at UC with plans on graduating in December 2020.   

The UC All-Decade Team was determined based on stats, awards & honors received, and significance to the program in addition to input for members of the UC Athletic Department. It will include one representative from every sport and be comprised of 29 student-athletes. The all-decade team looked at everything from the 2010-2011 season through the 2019-2020 season.