Spartans Head to Harding for NCAA South Region Meet

SEARCY, Ark. - The University of Tampa men's and women's cross-country teams will both compete in the NCAA Division II South Region Cross Country Championship on Saturday, which will be hosted by Harding University at the Wyldewood Retreat Center.

The event will begin with the men's 10 kilometer race at 9 a.m., as the women's 6-kilometer race will follow at 10 a.m.

The NCAA Division II South Region is comprised of schools from the Gulf South Conference, Sunshine State Conference and Southern Intercollegiate Athletics Conference. The top two teams in each race advance to the NCAA Division II Championship in Slippery Rock, Pa., on Sat., Nov. 22.

Twenty-four teams will compete in the women's race, with South Region No. 1 and national number-nine Tampa entering as the favorite. The Spartans, winners of the 2007 regional championship, captured their fifth SSC title in the last six years. UT's Jessica Forrester won the individual championship in 21:33.

Harding, champion of the GSC, is ranked second. The Lady Bisons, led by individual champion Esther Komen, won their fourth straight conference title. Komen won the race in 18:53.8.

SIAC champions Albany State enter the race ranked No. 8 in the regional poll. The Rams won their sixth straight SIAC title with Llonisha Lee winning her third straight individual crown in 20:56.8.

Alabama-Huntsville, second in the GSC meet, is third in the regional rankings. Rounding out the top 10 are No. 4 Arkansas Tech (3rd, GSC); No. 5 West Georgia (4th, GSC); No. 6 North Alabama (5th, GSC); No. 7 West Florida (6th, GSC); No. 9 Florida Southern (2nd, SSC); and No. 10 Nova Southeastern (3rd, SSC).

Runners from 21 schools will participate in the men's race. Host Harding, who is ranked third nationally and first in the latest regional poll on the men's side, will enter as the favorite. The Bisons won their seventh GSC championship in the last eight years with a perfect score of 15 points. Freshman Daniel Kirwa was the individual champion, winning his fifth straight race to begin his career.

Sunshine State Conference champion Florida Southern is ranked second in the regional rankings. The Mocs, the South Region defending champions, won their 12th straight SSC championship. Senior Scott Mackley was the SSC individual champion. Ut finished second in the race with all-SSC performer Tony Nicolosi pacing the Spartans with a second place finish.

Benedict College, ranked ninth in the regional poll, won the SIAC championship, snapping Morehouse's 13-year stranglehold on the conference championship. Toritich Dickson of Benedict won the SIAC individual championship in 26:02.8.

Alabama-Huntsville, which placed second in the GSC meet, is ranked No. 3 regionally. Rounding out the top 10 are No. 4 Tampa (2nd, SSC); No. 5 Nova Southeastern (3rd, SSC); No. 6 West Georgia (3rd, GSC); No. 7 Christian Brothers (4th, GSC); No. 8 West Florida (5th, GSC); and No. 10 Southern Arkansas (7th, GSC).