Tallahassee, FL – The University of the Cumberlands women's cross country team capped off its 2025 campaign with a 13th-place finish at the NAIA National Championships on Friday, totaling 412 points in the Women's 6K behind a lineup dominated by freshmen making their national meet debut. 

Freshman standout Lea Kunstmann delivered one of the best national performances in program history, placing 13th overall in 21:39.3 to earn NAIA All-American honors. Her time also marked the 11th-fastest 6K performance in program history, further elevating her impressive debut season. 

Fellow freshman Patrober Kosgei continued her late-season momentum with a steady climb through the race, finishing 62nd in 22:24.9 to give the Patriots a second top-70 finisher. First-year teammates Brynn Poulson and Tigist Bergman added solid national debuts, placing 125th (23:08.4) and 172nd (23:32.0) respectively. 

Junior Heather Durrant provided veteran consistency in the middle of the lineup, crossing in 23:24.5 for 154th place, while sophomore Anslee Crosby rounded out the team lineup with a 205th-place finish (23:54.5). 

Taylor (Ind.) captured the national title with 90 points behind a dominant front pack that placed all five scorers inside the top 45. Milligan (Tenn.) followed in second with 109 points, led by a strong 2–7 punch, while Dordt (Iowa) rounded out the podium with 136 points behind a tightly packed scoring group inside the top 50. 

The Patriots now look ahead to the indoor track season, where they are looking to defend their NAIA National Championship from last season. 

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