KANSAS CITY, Mo.— The Montreat men's cross country team found itself ranked No. 16 in the postseason edition of the NAIA Men's Cross Country Coaches' Top 25 Poll, as announced by the national office on Wednesday. Montreat's No. 16-ranking in the postseason poll matched last season as the program's best finish in the national rankings.
 
This marks the 14^th consecutive instance in which the Cavaliers have appeared in the top 25 of the national poll.
 
The Cavaliers climbed two spots up to No. 16 thanks to their stellar performance at the NAIA Cross Country National Championships. Montreat ran with intensity and purpose, totaling 417 points en route to tying its program-best team finish at the national meet (16^th).
 
Ethan Stamey, the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) Freshman of the Year, paced the Cavaliers with an 8K time of 25:42.1, good for 24^th overall and the first NAIA All-American honors in Montreat men's cross country history. Dylan Branch joined Stamey in the top 100, crossing the end line in 26:36.6 and earning an 82^nd-place finish. Chris Upton, Daniel O'Dell, Caleb Wright, Nathan Richards and Rene Tamez also competed for Montreat, finishing between 118^th and 197^th place in the 330-runner field.
 
With the season officially over, the Montreat men's cross country team will now look to continue improving its status on the national landscape in future meets beginning in the fall of 2022.