Louisville, KY - Facing one of the deepest and most competitive fields of the fall, the University of the Cumberlands men's cross country team secured a 14th-place finish out of 32 teams at the Louisville Classic in the Men's Gold 8K race, tallying 432 points. The field consisted of primarily NCAA Division 1 and 2 teams being the hardest race of the meet.

Noah Loeser led the Patriots with a strong run, crossing the line in 24:48.7 to place 54th overall. His finish ranks him at the top at the Pats this season, and places him within the top 20 times in program history. 

He was closely followed by Niklas Scherb, who clocked 24:57.7 for 63rd place. Ryan Ehrler (25:13.4, 87th) and Caden Desilvey (25:31.5, 127th) added key scoring performances, while Julius Makinen (25:31.8, 129th) rounded out UC's top five. 

The Patriots displayed tight pack running, as all five scorers finished within 43 seconds of each other. Depth continued with Noah McClellan (25:32.7) and Caden Cull (25:37.5) pushing close behind as displacers. 

Among NAIA competition, UC finished ahead of Indiana East, Montreat, and Madonna, asserting itself as one of the top small-college programs in the region. 

The Patriots will return to competition at the NAIA Appalachian Challenge on Friday, October 24, in Knoxville, Tennessee, as they continue preparations for the postseason. 

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