NEW ORLEANS— According to a release from the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) on Tuesday, the Montreat College Cavaliers had the NAIA's fourth-best women's cross country/track & field program during the 2024-25 academic year. The No. 4 rating in the Fred Beile Program of the Year standings is the best finish in school history.
The USTFCCCA's Fred Beile Program of the Year award honors the NAIA's most successful women's cross country/track & field program. To be eligible for the award, an institution must qualify for and score at each of the following three NAIA Championships: cross country, indoor track & field and outdoor track & field.
Scoring is based on a program's finish at each of the national championships, with first place earning one point, second place garnering two points, etc. Ties among programs at one of the national meets result in split points for the positions taken. At the end of the year, the institution with the lowest combined score for all three championships is named the Fred Beile Program of the Year.
Montreat kicked off its historic 2024-25 campaign with a program-best fifth-place team finish at the 2024 NAIA Cross Country Championships in Columbia, Mo.
Heather Murphy achieved the Cavs' best individual finish in team history by concluding her 6k in fourth out of 326 participants.
Ali Ray ended 13
th, while
Dylan Garcia placed 17
th, at the meet. Together, the three cross country stars collected NAIA All-American honors.
Four All-American efforts handed Montreat its top indoor team placement of 10
th at the 2025 U.S. Marines NAIA Indoor Track & Field Championships in Gainesville, Fla. Murphy bagged an All-American nod in the 5000m, while Garcia secured All-American status in the 1000m, mile and distance medley relay races.
Brooke Wiebe,
Kaylene Manternach,
Yessenia Castellanos and
Macy Parks were also named NAIA All-Americans thanks to their DMR showings in the prelims and finals.
The Cavaliers' historic 2024-25 campaign ended with their best outdoor nationals finish in program history. Montreat placed eighth at the 2025 U.S. Marines NAIA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Marion, Ind. Once again, four All-American performances paved the way. This time, Murphy delivered two All-American efforts in the 5k and 10k. Garcia captured her fifth All-American award of the year in the 1500m, and
Jessica Gakeri landed All-American recognition thanks to her school-record mark in the triple jump.
In total, Montreat's women's cross country/track & field program tallied 23 points, 3.5 more than third-rated The Master's (Calif.) and 21.5 fewer than No. 5 Olivet Nazarene (Ill.).
For a look at the complete Fred Beile Program of the Year standings, click
here.
