University of the Cumberlands Athletics

Chris LeFevre finished his eight season as Head Coach of the University of the Cumberlands Men’s Soccer program in 2023. LeFevre, who was hired in 2016, has guided the Patriots to a 73-50-26 (41-18-8 Mid-South Conference) record over the course of his eight seasons at UC.

This past season, the Pats made their fifth straight NAIA Postseason Appearance and marked themselves in the record books. The Patriots finished the season with an overall record of 7-4-5 and concluded the MSC season with a record of 3-1-2 to finish third in the conference. The team received an at-large bid to the NAIA Tournament after taking down Top-25 opponents, #1 Bethel (IN) and #23 Life University, during the season. UC also recorded draws against #5 Lindsey Wilson and #12 Georgia Gwinnett. The Patriots competed in the NAIA Tournament in the Oskaloosa Bracket against #13 William Penn, where they fell 0-1 in a defensively charged battle. The team had six players receive MSC All-Conference honors with four on First Team and two on Second Team. History was made with Salvador Martinez becoming the first Freshman to earn the title of MSC Freshman of the Year by netting 11 goals on the season to lead the MSC. Martinez recorded one assist and had a combined total of 23 points for a team and MSC best. Bruno Garcia also marked his name in the record books by being the first player to earn the title of MSC Defensive Player of the year. Garcia recorded four assists for a combined total of four points and helped hold opponents to 1.33 goals per game and a .488 shots on goal percentage. Both players are the first to receive this award in UC history and the first under LeFevre. 

In 2022, the Pats had a record breaking year finishing with an overall record of 10-4-5 and 6-2-2 in the MSC. The team received an at-large bid to the NAIA Tournament to mark their fourth consecutive appearance. The team saw seven players garnered with MSC All-Conference honors with four on First Team and three on Second Team. Pablo Vazquez made UC history after becoming the first Freshman ot be named MSC Player of the Year. He only allowed nine goals all season, holding opponents to a .63 goals against average (15th best in the NAIA) and recorded 33 saves and five shutouts on the year. Vazquez is the third player in UC history to be garnished with this award and the first under LeFevre. The Pats traveled to compete in the NAIA Tournament in the Dalton Bracket, but fell short in a penalty shootout. To round out a record setting season, Stephen Appiah and Vazquez were named NAIA All-Americans Honorable Mentions. This marks the first time since 2020 Cumberlands has earned a NAIA All-American honor and the first time since 2008 that the program had two honorees in the same season.

In 2021, UC made their third straight NAIA Postseason Appearance with a season record of 11-6-3. Cumberlands finished the MSC season with a record of 8-2-1 to finish third in the conference. The team made it to the MSC Championship game for the second straight year, earning their automatic bid to the NAIA Tournament. The team had seven players earn MSC All-Conference honors with one on First Team, four on Second Team, and a pair with Honorable Mention. Joel Drewery was the lone Patriot on First Team, leading UC in assists with 13 this season which also ranked him fifth in the NAIA. Drewery leaves the UC men's soccer program as one of the most decorated earning the first ever five-time MSC All-Conference honoree, the all-time assist leader (44) and the all-time caps leader (92).

In 2020, the Patriots won the Mid-South Conference Tournament for the first time since 1996. The team then went to their second NAIA Tournament in two seasons and recorded their first NAIA Tournament win in program history defeating Bethel (IN) 6-0. LeFevre helped lead his team out of the Fort Wayne Bracket and to the NAIA Final Site. The team made it to the quaterfinals defeating Indiana Tech (2-0) and Lindsey Wilson (3-2) along the way. For the season LeFevre's squad went 14-6-2 overall with a 8-2-1 conference record.

The 2020 team set the standard for UC men's soccer with finishing the season as the highest ranked team in program history at #6. UC had nine shutouts, ranking them seventh in the NAIA. On the offensive end the team tallied 48 assists for eighth most in the nation.They also racked up 50 goals for 13^th most in the NAIA. UC held opponents to just 16 goals against all year and the Patriots never lost a game by more than one goal. Two Patriots earned First-Team All-Conference recognition four players nabbed Second-Team All-Conference honors, and two student-athletes garnered honorable mentions. This is the most UC has on the All-Conference list since 2008-09 when 13 were named. 

In 2019, LeFevre led the men's soccer program to the NAIA Tournament for the first time in history. At the helm, he led the Patriots to the most single-season wins since 2015, finishing with an overall record of 10-7-2. He finished the year ranked in the NAIA across three statistical categories, including 25th for total shutouts with eight.

Under LeFevre, the Patriots have made the Mid-South Conference Tournament every year as the fourth seed or better, peaking as #3 for the past five years (since 2019). In 2020, the Patriots won the Mid-South Conference Tournament for the first time since 1996. UC has made five consecutive NAIA National Tournament appearances since 2019.

LeFevre has had five NAIA All-American Honorable Mentions, one MSC Player of the Year, one MSC Freshman of the Year, one MSC Defender of the Year, 17 MSC First Team All-Conference selections, 25 players garner Second Team All-Conference honors, and four MSC Honorable Mention All-Conference selections. In addition to his success on the field, the Patriots have had two players named MSC Champions of Character, 118 players earn Academic All-Conference accolades, while 36 players have been named Daktronics-NAIA All-Americans.

LeFevre is originally from Stockholm, New Jersey. Him and his wife of 17 years, Betsy, have two sons, Isaac (11) and Micah (9). He graduated from Adelphi University in 2004 with a Bachelor of Science in Sports Management and from Canisius College in Buffalo, New York in 2006 with a Masters' Degree in Sports Administration. 
 
After his playing career, LeFevre became the head coach at Genessee Community College bolstering the program into a major player with an overall record of 41-17-1 in three seasons. While there, his teams were the Western New York Conference Champions in 2006 and 2007 and made an appearance in the Regional Final Four. 
 
LeFevre made a stop at NCAA DI Binghamton University in 2008 as an assistant, helping the team finish with a 10-5-3 record and a sixth-straight conference final appearance before spending time at Adrian College (Michigan) from 2009-2013. At Adrian, he garnered a 31-53-13 record over five seasons and had the highest winning percentage in school history earning the first winning season record since 1983. 
 
In 2015-2016, LeFevre was the head coach at NCAA DIII McMurray University. He has coached numerous NCAA All-Region players along with NJCAA and NSCAA All-Americans over his tenure, and his experience in the coaching realm is vast — covering all aspects of the game of soccer on various levels.  
 
"This is a tremendous opportunity. UC has a beautiful campus and has the reputation as a strong academic institution. Not only is the university warm and welcoming, it's also a winner," said LeFevre. "The Patriots have a great tradition of success."
 
Coach LeFevre describes himself as relentless, detailed, and rational. He expects his players to work hard every day in every way with full effort. He wants his players to care about their teammates and the program. 
 
UC Athletic Director Chris Kraftick commented, "Chris really impressed both myself and the committee during the interview process. His passion and energy for recruiting and developing players will be the cornerstone of his program. I cannot wait to see what he can do with the assets available to him at UC."