HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – The University of the Cumberlands men's cross country team recorded its best Southern Showcase finish in program history on Friday, placing fifth out of 29 teams with 194 points. James Ndayishimiye and Luca Madeo both finished inside the top 30 to lead the Patriots through the deeply competitive 8K field.
 
The fifth-place showing surpasses UC's previous best finish at the Southern Showcase, which came in 2023 when the Patriots placed ninth out of 32 teams.
 
Ndayishimiye paced Cumberlands with a 24:26.2 performance to finish 22nd overall and 21st in the team scoring. Madeo stayed close behind, completing the course in 24:36.9 to place 27th overall and add 25 points to the team total.
 
UC's next three runners came across within three seconds of one another to secure the historic team finish. Collin De Julio recorded a 25:08.3, followed by Killian Le Bourhis in 25:11.0 and Caleb Hershey just two-tenths of a second later at 25:11.2. The trio accounted for 47th, 50th, and 51st in the team scoring, respectively.
 
That tight group gave Cumberlands a top-five average of 24:55, with just 45 seconds separating Ndayishimiye from Hershey. Ryan Ehrler added a 25:24.7 as UC's sixth runner across the line, while Giulio Romano completed the Patriots' top seven in 25:41.6.
 
Depth continued throughout the lineup with Kyle Crady clocking 25:48.4 and Sean Crady following in 25:58.0. Caleb Burton (26:06.7) and Casey Desilvey (26:07.8) finished just over a second apart, while Dathan Custar crossed in 26:34.2. Caden Cull (27:35.0) and Marcus Salinas (27:35.8) rounded out the Patriot finishers.
 
Cumberlands' fifth-place finish put the Patriots behind only Alabama, Appalachian State, Georgia Tech, and Clemson in the team standings. UC finished ahead of several NCAA Division I programs, including Jacksonville State, Auburn, Temple, Belmont, Arkansas State, Western Carolina, North Alabama, Tennessee Tech, Chattanooga, Mercer, and others. RV UT Southern was the next best NAIA finisher in 16^th as a team while No. 4 Milligan finished 17^th overall.
 
Cumberlands will return to competition on Saturday, Oct. 3, when the Patriots travel to Louisville, Kentucky, for The Great Louisville Classic.
 
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