The Emory University men's cross country team had another successful season, sending two athletes to the National Championship meet, boasting five All-Region honorees and bringing home a first place win at the UT Chattanooga Intercollegiate.
The Eagles used their consistent veteran leadership and young core to find their rhythm this season, turning in six top five finishes across the eight team meets. The team found dependability in its veterans as John Urciuoli and Ryan Van de Berghe each saw multiple top-30 finishes on the year. The squad also found success in its rookies as Owen Larson, Amos Pres and Michael Versaci all found themselves as top team finishers for the Eagles this season.
The team began their season with a strong start at the KSU Stan Sims Opener, coming in third place. Larson and fellow freshman Logan Clark both had impressive debut performances as they found themselves in the top 20.
Coming off a strong start to the year, Emory took 8th at the Queen City Invite in their first 8k race of the season. The squad was led by Van de Berghe's top 30 performance in a crowded field of 236 runners.
The season continued for the Eagles with a doubleheader weekend at the Georgia Tech Invitational and the Paul Short Run. At the Paul Short Run, the Eagles took 16th place in a crowded field of 407 runners and 45 teams, led once again by Van de Berghe who took 29th overall. Urciuoli also found success at the Paul Short Run as he placed 45th to help lead the team to its top 20 placement. At the GT Invitational, the Eagles placed fourth overall, with Versaci leading the squad with his 27th place finish in a field of 109 runners. Pres also found himself in the top 30 at the event with a time of 26:08.1, marking his first top 30 placement as an Eagle.
After a successful doubleheader weekend, the team split up once again for another dual meet weekend at the Chattanooga Intercollegiate and the Rowan Inter-Regional Border Battle. In Chattanooga, the team picked up a first-place win led by Pres and his third overall finish. The entire team placed in the top 20 with seven Eagles placing in the top ten. At the Rowan Border Battle the team captured another top five finish, with Van de Berghe and Urciuoli leading the team as they came in 4th and 5th place respectively in a field of 327 runners.
The team kept their momentum going as they traveled to Edwardsville, IL for the UAA Championships where Emory took fifth place, highlighted by Van de Berghe's 13th place finish. This was followed by an excellent weekend at the NCAA South Regional where the team placed fourth, boasting five All-Region selections and two individual bids to the National Championship meet in Van de Berghe and Urciuoli.
The season concluded with the junior/sophomore duo of Urciuoli and Van de Berghe heading to the Division III National Championship meet in Spartanburg, SC where Urciuoli took 122nd and Van de Berghe took 156th in a field of 291 runners.
The Eagles earned the following honors for the 2025 season:
