Bowling Green, KY – The Cumberlands women's cross country team continues to excel both on the course and in the classroom, setting a new program record with 14 Patriots named to the Mid-South Conference Academic All-Conference Team, conference officials announced Wednesday. The total leads all MSC programs and showcases UC's strong commitment to academic success. 

This year's honorees include eight first-time recipients — Megan Kitchens, Lucy Sullivan, Anslee Crosby, Clayra Darnell, Jasmin Ponce, Tigist Bergman, Lea Kunstmann, and Grace Forrest. 

Hannah Durrant, Heather Durrant, Lilian Bittencourt, and Elisa Helferich each earned the recognition for the second straight year, while Chloe West collected the honor for the third consecutive season. Ashley Terry capped off her Patriots career by earning Academic All-Conference recognition for the fourth straight year. 

To be eligible for the MSC Academic All-Conference Team, student-athletes must be a sophomore, junior, or senior and maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.25 (on a 4.0 scale) based on all completed academic terms. 

In addition to her Academic All-Conference recognition, Clayra Darnell was also named to the MSC Champions of Character Team. The MSC recognizes a Champions of Character Team for each championship sport, honoring student-athletes nominated by their coaches for demonstrating leadership on and off the field, as well as embodying the NAIA's five core character values.

UC returns to Bowling Green this weekend to compete in the Mid-South Conference Championships. Cumberlands enters the meet ranked 3rd in the latest NAIA Coaches' Poll and seek to capture their sixth straight conference title. 

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