NAIA Coaches' Poll

Williamsburg, KY - The University of the Cumberlands men's cross country team will begin the 2025 campaign ranked fourth in the NAIA Preseason Coaches' Poll, officials announced Thursday. This is the third time since 2018 that the Patriots have been ranked in the preseason poll. The Patriots also enter the season as the top-ranked team in the Mid-South Conference preseason rating. 

UC is coming off a strong 2024 season in which the team finished third at the NAIA National Championships, marking consecutive Mid-South Conference titles and continuing the program's tradition of national competitiveness. Despite losing three All-Americans from last year's squad, the Patriots return key contributors Ryan Ehrler, Jon Eades, and Noah Loeser, all of whom qualified for the NAIA Championships last season. 

Ryan Ehrler earned MSC Second Team All-Conference honors, competing in seven meets and running a personal best 8K time of 24:59.7 at the NAIA Championships. He also placed 13th at the MSC Championships and 26th in the NAIA Appalachian Challenge. 

Jon Eades earned NAIA qualifier, MSC First Team All-Conference, Daktronics Scholar Athlete, and MSC Academic All-Conference honors. He ran a personal best 8K time of 25:03.8 at the NAIA Appalachian Challenge, placing 15th, and finished 6th at the MSC Championships. As a freshman, Eades earned MSC Second Team All-Conference honors and recorded an 8K personal best of 26:15.2. 

Junior Noah Loeser also returns as a key contributor. He earned NAIA qualifier, MSC Second Team All-Conference, and Daktronics Scholar-Athlete honors, running a personal best 8K time of 25:07.5 at the NAIA Appalachian Challenge. Loeser placed eighth at the MSC Championships and 18th at the Appalachian Challenge, providing depth and leadership for the Patriots. 

With Ehrler, Eades, Loeser, and a blend of promising newcomers, the Patriots are poised to remain a contender both in the Mid-South Conference and on the national stage. 

The top five teams in the poll include The Master's (Calif.), Milligan (Tenn.), Taylor (Ind.), Cumberlands (Ky.), and Marian (Ind.). 

UC will open its season on Friday, August 29, at the Berea/Centre Jamboree in Berea, Kentucky. 

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