Cleveland, OH – The Cumberlands athletic department has picked up right where they left off with an historic performance during the 2025 fall championship season that featured a quartet of teams that notched top-10 finishes.  The Patriots had five teams qualified for their respective NAIA Championships posting a top-15 finish while accumulating a school record 385.00 points to be ranked second in the NAIA LEARFIELD Directors' Cup, it was announced Tuesday. 
 
This marks the second straight year that UC has been ranked second after then fall season.  It also marks the highest point total after the fall surpassing the 330.50 points they tallied in 2024.
 
Leading the way for Cumberlands is the Patriots women's soccer team, who made an incredible run during the national tournament.  UC garnered the seventh consecutive trip to the NAIA National Tournament, reaching the final site for the sixth time in program history.  The Patriots knocked off the fourth, fifth, and eighth seeds to reach that national championship match for the second time in program history capturing 90 points in the Learfield standings.  During the 2025 season, the Patriots compiled an 17-5-3 record and hosted the NAIA Opening Round for the fourth time.  UC knocked off #4 College of Idaho, #5 John Brown, and #8 Oklahoma Wesleyan to finish as the NAIA National Runner-Ups.  The Patriots had three NAIA All-Americans selections and four players named to the NAIA All-Tournament Team.

For the third straight season, Cumberlands men's cross country team garnered 85 points after placing third at the NAIA National Championships. The Patriots had a dominating racing successfully defended their MSC conference title with a perfect score of 15 points, while having the top six runners and seven of the top eight runners at the championships.  UC was ranked in the top-five heading into the NAIA National Championship, where they scored 160 points to place third overall for the fourth time in program history.  Ishak Mekideche, who was the conference Runner & Freshman of the Year, also garnered All-American honors along with Julius Makinen.
 
For the second consecutive season UC men's soccer notched 83 points after they reached the national semifinals.  The Patriots captured their first Mid-South Conference champions since 2008 and earned the 12th-seed for the NAIA National Tournament.  After defeating Xavier 1-0 to open tournament play, the Patriots survived in penalty kicks knocking off #5 Life before defeating Warner Pacific 4-1 in penalty kicks to reach the semifinals for the second straight season.  Cumberlands closed out the season with a 9-6-6 record with a 5-1 mark in MSC play and five wins against ranked opponents. 
 
On the heels of the best season in program history, the Patriots volleyball team earned 64 points.  Cumberlands notched a program best 36-1 record, capturing their first MSC regular season title and second MSC Tournament title before qualifying for their third straight national tournament. For the first time in program history, UC hosted an NAIA Opening Round, where they defeated (RV) Columbia International 3-1 to advance to the NAIA Final Site.  The Pats opened pool play with a 3-0 sweep over #17 Midland, before falling in a five-set match to #8 McPherson.  UC won a program-best 36 straight matches, capturing multiple top conference honors, including Player of the Year (Sara Zampedri), Setter of the Year (Savanah Jolly), and Defensive Player of the Year (Davey Slaughter).  Zampedri also became the first NAIA First Team All-American  in  program history. 
 
Right behind them was the women's cross country team that finished 13^th at the NAIA Championship.  The Patriots recorded their third highest team finish in program history and earned 63 points in the LEARFIELD standings.  Cumberlands captured sixth fifth straight MSC title with 22 points, which marked the second-best conference score. UC had seven of the top 11 finishers, while Lea Kunstmann garnered MSC Runner & Freshman of the Year honors. The Patriots went on score 412 points to post their third straight top-15 team finish in program history. Kunstmann earned All-American accolades over the 6k race.
                                                                                                                                  
The winter LEARFIELD Directors' Cup standings will be released on April 2.  The LEARFIELD Sports Directors' Cup was developed as a joint effort between NACDA and USA Today. Points are awarded based on each institution's finish in 13 sports during their championships.
 
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