Tallahassee, FL - The No. 3 Patriots men's cross country team is preparing to travel to the 2025 NAIA Cross Country National Championships after punching their ticket for the third consecutive season and the third time since 2008.  

The Patriots have put together another impressive campaign in 2025, remaining inside the top tier of the national rankings from start to finish. After opening the year ranked fourth in the preseason poll, UC has consistently competed against some of the best NAIA and NCAA programs in the country. 

The Patriots kicked off the season at the Berea/Centre Jamboree, posting a one-two finish in the 5K individual standings as freshman Casey DeSilvey claimed the individual title in 15:46.48, followed closely by fellow freshman Sean Crady in 15:49.75. Caden Cull added another top-ten finish in eighth, while Noah McClellan contributed to the team effort as one of the scoring seven. 

The team then traveled to Huntsville, Alabama, for the Southern Showcase, facing a field of 459 runners from primarily NCAA Division I and II programs. Julius Makinen led the Patriots in the 8K with a 78th-place finish of 24:58.8, followed by Ishak Mekideche (92nd), Niklas Scherb (136th), Noah Loeser (154th), and Ryan Ehrler (156th) to round out UC's top five scorers. 

At the Greater Louisville Classic, UC posted a 14th-place team finish in the Men's Gold 8K, highlighted by Loeser's 54th-place finish in 24:48.7, one of the top 20 times in program history. He was closely followed by Scherb (63rd), Ehrler (87th), DeSilvey (127th), and Makinen (129th), with McClellan and Cull pushing closely behind as displacers. All five scorers finished within 43 seconds, demonstrating the Patriots' pack depth. 

The NAIA Appalachian Challenge in Knoxville showcased UC's elite front-running. The Patriots captured the team title with 33 points, placing seven of their national qualifiers inside the top 20. Ehrler led with a runner-up finish in 24:22.41, the fastest 8K by a Patriot this season and the seventh-fastest in program history. Freshmen Mekideche (4th) and Makinen (5th) gave UC three runners in the top five, while Loeser (10th) and McClellan (12th) rounded out the scoring five. DeSilvey (13th) and Cull (20th) completed the top seven, highlighting the team's depth and cohesion. 

The Patriots closed the regular season at the Mid-South Conference Championships in Bowling Green, Kentucky, where they captured their third consecutive MSC title with a perfect team score of 15 points. Freshman Mekideche claimed the individual crown with a time of 25:36.18, earning both MSC Runner of the Year and Freshman of the Year honors. Ehrler (2nd), Scherb (3rd), Loeser (4th), and Hauke Trost (5th) completed the scoring five, while DeSilvey (6th) and Crady (8th) added to the team's historic performance. Cull (13th) also contributed to the depth while Head Coach Bradley Sowder earned Coach of the Year accolades. 

This year's squad features six freshmen making their nationals debut, alongside veterans like McClellan, Loeser, and Trost, who bring leadership and championship experience. Sophomore Ehrler also returns after contributing to last year's successful run, helping anchor a lineup that has consistently shown depth and improvement throughout the season. 

The Men's 8k is set to take place on Friday, November 21st, at 9:30am EST in Tallahassee, Florida at the Apalachee Regional Park. 

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