KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Cumberlands (Ky.) jumps up to No. 3 in the latest NAIA Men’s Cross Country Coaches’ Top 25 Ratings, NAIA officials announced on Monday.
 
The Patriots opened 2025 in second place at the Berea/Centre Jamboree before a 21st-place finish in a largely Division I field at the Southern Showcase, hosted by Jacksonville State University. Cumberlands is back in action Oct. 4, at the Greater Louisville Classic, hosted by the University of Louisville. 
 
Cumberlands received 498 points to move from fourth to third in the latest poll.
 
Ratings Methodology

• The rating is rated by a panel of head coaches representing each of the conferences and unaffiliated groupings.
• The Top 25 is determined by a points system based on how each rater rates the best teams. A team receives 30 points for each first-place vote, 29 for second-place, 28 for third-place and so on through the list.
• The highest and lowest ratings for each team (a non-rating is considered a low rating) are removed. The team’s rating will be recalculated with an additional point added to each team for every ballot (including discounted ballots) that the team appears on.
• Teams that receive only one point in the ballot are not considered “receiving votes”.