2008 USTFCCCA Cross Country Region Award Winners

Braun, Payne and Martin Receive Regional Honors

Seattle Pacific's Pixler, Shippensburg's Spences Receive Division II Cross Country Women's Regional Honors

by Keith Nunez, USTFCCCA

NEW ORLEANS -- November 13, 2008 -- The defending national champion from Seattle Pacific and a father-daughter duo from Shippensburg are among those receiving NCAA Division II Regional Athlete and Coach of the Year honors for the 2008 season.

The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association announced the regional award-winners today. The USTFCCCA names the Division II athletes and coaches of the year for eight regions across the country.

Seattle Pacific's Jessica Pixler is the West Region Athlete of the Year. Pixler won her regional title in record-setting fashion earlier this month and looks ready to make a run for her second straight NCAA Division II title.

Each of the regional honorees will either be running or coaching at the NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships, to be held Nov. 22 in Slippery Rock, Pa.

Included in this group are Neely Spence, the Atlantic Region champion from Shippensburg, and her coach/father, Steve Spence. The Raiders won their first conference and regional titles this fall with the Spences leading the way.

Damon Martin of top-ranked Adams State is the Central Region Women's Coach of the Year. Martin's Grizzlies have won five straight NCAA Division II women's titles in cross country.

This year's regional honorees for the 2008 season:

ATLANTIC REGION
Women's Athlete: Neely Spence, Shippensburg University
Spence shattered the course record by 26 seconds in claiming the Atlantic Region individual title by nearly one minute. Her earlier win at the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference meet helped Shippensburg squeeze out a three-point team victory. Neely, a freshman from Shippensburg, is the daughter of Raiders coach Steve Spence.

Women's Coach: Steve Spence, Shippensburg University
With his daughter, Neely, leading the way, the seventh-ranked Raiders brought Spence the first Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference and Atlantic Region championships of his 11-year tenure. Spence, a Shippensburg graduate, was a member of the 1992 U.S. Olympic marathon team and won a bronze medal at the 1991 World Championships.

CENTRAL REGION
Women's Athlete: Shannon Payne, University of Colorado-Colorado Springs
After finishing second at the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Championships to Adams State's Lavenna Mullenbach, Payne turned the tables on her RMAC rivals with an 11.6-second win at the Central Regional. Payne placed fourth in the 10,000 meters at last spring's NCAA Outdoor Track Championships. She is a senior from Franktown, Colo.
Women's Coach: Damon Martin, Adams State
Martin's five-time defending champions are the top-ranked women's team entering the NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships. Adams State won its sixth straight Central Region title on Nov. 8, two weeks after claiming its seventh straight Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference championship. Martin has won 13 NCAA women's cross country titles at Adams State.

EAST REGION
Women's Athlete: Christina Dalomba, University of Massachusetts at Lowell
Dalomba ran her strongest race of the year at the East Regional, clocking 22:10 on the 6-kilometer course at Boston's Franklin Park to win by 15 seconds. She placed second at the
Northeast-10 Conference meet and placed 31^st out of 301 runners at the New England Cross Country Championships. Dalomba is a senior from Marstons Mills, Mass.
Women's Coach: Gary Gardner, University of Massachusetts at Lowell
After runner-up finishes in 2006 and 2007, Gardner's River Hawks finished first in this fall's East Regional. UMass-Lowell earlier won its second Northeast-10 Conference championship in four years. Gardner is in his fifth year as the cross country and track coach at Lowell.

MIDWEST REGION
Women's Athlete: Rachelle Malette, Wayne State University
Malette successfully defended her Midwest Region title, winning by nearly 13 seconds. She won the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship by a similar margin. A senior from Windsor, Ontario, Malette finished fifth at last year's NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships.
Women's Coach: Jerry Baltes, Grand Valley State University
The Lakers placed seven runners in the top 10 in winning their eighth straight Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship and then put five runners in the top 10 in claiming an eighth consecutive Midwest Region title. Grand Valley State is ranked second nationally heading into the NCAA Championships. Baltes is in his ninth season as head coach.

SOUTH REGION
Women's Athlete: Jessica Forrester, University of Tampa
Forrester became the first Tampa runner, male or female, to win a regional individual championship. She claimed the South title by 36 seconds. Her season includes victories in the Sunshine State Conference and UT Early Bird Classic. Forrester is a junior from Brandon, Fla.
Women's Coach: Jarrett Slaven, University of Tampa
Slaven's ninth season at Tampa resulted in South Region and Sunshine Coast Conference championships. The women's regional title was Slaven's third in five years, and junior standout Jessica Forrester won the program's first-ever regional individual crown. The eighth-ranked Spartans finished 10^th at last year's NCAA Cross Country Championships.

SOUTH CENTRAL REGION
Women's Athlete: Kimi Shank, Missouri Southern State University
Shank's first conference title helped the Lions claim their third straight team championship at the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association meet. She placed second at the South Central Region Championships as Missouri Southern claimed its second straight women's team title. Shank, a junior from Rolla, Mo., finished 22^nd at last year's NCAA Cross Country Championships.
Women's Coach: Koby Styles, Midwestern State University
The Mustangs head to the NCAA Cross Country Championships with their highest national ranking in school history (16^th). Midwestern State finished second at the South Central Regional and won the Lone Star Conference title. Now in his second season as Midwestern State's head coach, Styles was a two-time All-America performer in cross country at East Central (Okla.) University.

SOUTHEAST REGION
Women's Athlete: Allison Kreutzer, Clayton State University
Kruetzer's victory at the Southeast Region Championships gave her a perfect 7-for-7 record in 2008 competition. The Peach Belt Conference champion missed last season with a foot injury but finished second at the 2004 NCAA meet as a freshman and was 10^th in 2005. She is a senior from Lilburn, Ga.
Women's Coach: Craig McPhail, Lees-McRae College
The Bobcats peaked perfectly at the Southeast Region Championships, racing to a 25-point win to bring McPhail his third regional title in 10 seasons as the cross country coach.  Lees-McRae also won the Conference Carolinas championship in decisive fashion.

WEST REGION
Women's Athlete: Jessica Pixler, Seattle Pacific University
Pixler set a course record of 20:57.1 and finished more than 30 seconds ahead of the field in winning her second straight West Region title at UC San Diego. Pixler, the defending NCAA Division II cross country champion, finished sixth in a field of 278 runners at the 2008 Stanford Invitational and won the Great Northwest Athletic Conference by a large margin. She is a junior from Sammamish, Wash.
Women's Coach: Gary Towne, California State University, Chico 
The third-ranked Wildcats continued to dominate West Coast competition, winning their fourth regional title in six years and their fifth California Collegiate Athletic Association championship in seven years. Chico State will try to improve on last year's fourth-place finish when they compete in the NCAA Championships on Nov. 22 in Slippery Rock, Pa. This is Towne's 13^th season as the head cross country coach at his alma mater.

Adams State's Braun, Martin Take Home Division II Cross Country Regional Awards

NEW ORLEANS - Aaron Braun and Damon Martin are two of the leading reasons why Adams State is ranked first in the country among Division II men's cross country teams.

Braun is the top runner on the nation's top-ranked team, and Martin is the coach who masterminds the program's success. It comes as no surprise that they are among the 16 recipients of the NCAA Division II Regional Athlete and Coach of the Year honors for the 2008 season.

The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association announced the regional award-winners today. The USTFCCCA names the Division II athletes and coaches of the year for eight regions.

Braun won individual honors at the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference and Central Region Championships this fall, leading the Grizzlies to team championships in both meets.

Martin, a coaching fixture at Adams State since 1988, will be shooting for his third NCAA men's title when the Grizzlies compete at the NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships on Nov. 22 in Slippery Rock, Pa.

At last year's NCAA Championships, Braun finished second in the individual race behind Abilene Christian's Nicodemus Naimadu, the most decorated runner in Division II history. Adams State finished second in the team standings to Abilene Christian.

This year's regional honorees for the 2008 men's cross country season:

ATLANTIC REGION
Men's Athlete: Chris Clark, California University of Pennsylvani
Clark set a course record in winning the Atlantic Region title in 31 minutes, finishing 23 seconds ahead of the field. He also won the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference individual title and was first in the Carnegie Mellon University Invitational. Clark is a graduate student from Hadley, Pa.
Men's Coach: Aaron Russell, Lock Haven University
Lock Haven's men upset Edinboro to win the East Region Championships by a 51-71 margin. The Bald Eagles earlier placed third at the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Championships behind Edinboro and Slippery Rock. Russell has guided Lock Haven to four of the last five East Region men's titles. He is in his seventh season as head coach at his alma mater. 

CENTRAL REGION
Men's Athlete: Aaron Braun, Adams State College
Braun led the top-ranked Grizzles to team titles at the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference and Central Region meets by finishing as the first individual in both races. The junior from Fort Collins won the regional championship by 12 seconds over teammate Brian Medogovich. Braun finished second at last year's NCAA Cross Country Championships and won the 1,500 meters at the 2008 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
Men's Coach: Damon Martin, Adams State College
Martin's top-ranked Grizzlies are undefeated entering the NCAA Championships following their third Central Region title in the last four years. Adams State placed four men in the top 10 and seven in the top 15 at regionals. Martin has won two NCAA men's cross country titles and 12 women's championships during his illustrious career at Adams State. 

EAST REGION
Men's Athlete: Ruben Sanca, University of Massachusetts-Lowell
Sanca raced to first-place finishes at the Northeast-10 Conference and East Region championship meets. The senior from Boston won the regional title by more than 30 seconds, clocking 30:30.6 for 10,000 meters. Sanca finished 24^th at last year's NCAA Cross Country Championships and also earned All-America honors in indoor track.
Men's Coach: Gary Gardner, University of Massachusetts at Lowell
In his fifth season as UMass-Lowell's cross country and track coach, Gardner guided the River Hawks to team championships at the Northeast-10 Conference and East Region meets. His men won the East Regional by 11 points, paced by individual champion Ruben Sanca. Gardner ran collegiately at Keene State in the early 1990s.

MIDWEST REGION
Men's Athlete: Chris Hammer, Grand Valley State University
Hammer swept top honors at the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and Midwest Region Championships. His victory at the regional meet led Grand Valley State to its seventh straight Midwest title. Hammer, a senior from Troy, Mich., placed sixth in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at last spring's NCAA Outdoor Track Championships.
Men's Coach: Jerry Baltes, Grand Valley State University
Baltes guided the Lakers to their seventh straight men's championship at the Midwest Region meet. Grand Valley State earlier won its seventh straight Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship. In nine years as the men's and women's track and cross country coach at Grand Valley State, Baltes has won 44 out of 50 possible GLIAC men's and women's titles in cross country, indoor track and outdoor track. 

SOUTH REGION
Men's Athlete: Daniel Kirwa, Harding University
Kirwa is undefeated this fall in seven races, the most recent victory coming at the South Region Championships. He is expected to be one of the top contenders at the upcoming NCAA Championships. Kirwa, the reigning NCAA track champion in the 10,000 meters, is a freshman from Burnt Forrest, Kenya.
Men's Coach: Steve Guymon, Harding University
The Bison scored a perfect score of 15 points in winning their seventh South Region title in the last eight years. In his six seasons as head coach at Harding, Guymon has won six Gulf South Conference and six South Region men's titles. Guymon's male and female athletes have earned 20 All-America honors in cross country. 

SOUTH CENTRAL REGION
Men's Athlete: Julius Nyango, Abilene Christian University
Nyango led Abilene Christian to a 1-2-3-4 finish at the South Regional, the Wildcats' eighth title in the last nine years. Nyango placed third to help Abilene Christian win the 2007 NCAA Cross Country team championship and will be one of the individual favorites in Slippery Rock. He won the 800 meters at last spring's NCAA Outdoor Track Championships. Nyango is a senior from Aldai, Kenya.
Men's Coach: Sam Burroughs, Abilene Christian University
In his first season as Abilene Christian's cross country coach, Burroughs guided the second-ranked Wildcats to victories at the Lone Star Conference and South Central Region Championships. Burroughs came to Abilene from Iona, where he was an assistant coach at one of the top Division I cross country programs in the country. 

SOUTHEAST REGION
Men's Athlete: Oscar Ogwaro, Queens University of Charlotte
Ogwaro took an early lead en route to an 11-second win at the Southeast Regional in Charlotte. Ogwaro, a junior from Los Angeles, also won the Covered Bridge Invitational in September. Ogwaro also won the Conference Carolinas individual title on October 25^th.
Men's Coach: Scott Simmons, Queens University of Charlotte
The seventh-ranked Royals will try to improve on last year's 15^th-place finish when they compete in the 2008 NCAA Cross Country Championships. Simmons guided Queens an overwhelming win at the Southeast Regional meet. He directed Virginia Intermont to three successive NAIA men's titles prior to becoming the head coach at Queens in 2007. 

WEST REGION
Men's Athlete: Scott Bauhs, California State University Chico
A two-time NCAA champion in outdoor track, Bauhs won his first regional cross country title with a nine-second victory at the West Region Championships in La Jolla. Last spring, Bauhs ran the fastest-ever 10,000 meters by a Division II athlete, clocking 27:48.06 to qualify for the U.S. Olympic Trials. He is a senior from Danville, Ca.
Men's Coach: Gary Towne, California State University Chico
The fourth-ranked Wildcats enter the NCAA Championships with a head of steam, having raced to solid victories at the California Collegiate Athletic Association and West Region Championships. Towne's teams have won seven straight CCAA and West Region titles. This is his 13^th season as Chico State's head cross country coach.