Women's Cross Country | Nov 08, 2017
SAINT LEO, Fla. – Saint Leo senior Colett Rampf and sophomore Ronald Cheserek were each tabbed as U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Regional Athletes of the Year, while Kent Reiber was named the USTFCCAA South Region Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year, when USTFCCCA regional awards were unveiled on Wednesday.
Rampf is now a three-time USTFCCCA South Region Women's Athlete of the Year award recipient, after previously winning in 2015 and 2016, and becomes the first three-time runner of the year selection of either gender in the history of the South Region. She is the only Saint Leo women's cross country runner to win South Region Athlete of the Year honors.
Rampf won the 2017 NCAA South Region Championship on Saturday at Holloway Park in Lakeland, Fla., with a time of 20:49.14, nearly 52 seconds ahead of her nearest competitor. She also won her fourth Sunshine State Conference individual championship on October 22, 2017, at the SSC meet in Boca Raton, Fla.
Cheserek was named the South Region Men's Athlete of the Year for the first time in his career, following his victory in Saturday's NCAA South Region meet. He crossed the line in 32:32.61, beating out West Alabama's Victor Onyango by a little under two seconds.
Cheserek is the second Saint Leo men's cross country runner to claim the South Region Athlete of the Year award, joining Valentin Lenz (2013).
The South Region Athlete of the Year awards are but the most recent accolade for both Rampf and Cheserek. Both were USTFCCCA All-South Region selections following Saturday's NCAA South Region races, and they were the SSC Women's and Men's Cross Country Runners of the Year respectively.
Reiber is a three-time South Region Coach of the Year honoree, after previously receiving the Men's South Region Coach of the Year award in 2015 and the Women's South Region Coach of the Year award in 2016.
Now in his third season at the helm of Saint Leo men's and women's cross country, Reiber has led the Lions to their first two South Region championships in program history – a men's South Region title in 2015 to go with the 2017 women's South Region crown – along with men's SSC title in 2015 and 2016, and a women's SSC championship in 2016. He was an assistant coach for Saint Leo cross country when the Lions swept both the men's and women's SSC championships in 2014.
Both the Saint Leo men's and women's cross country teams will be competing at the NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships in Evansville, Ind., on November 18. The Lions will be making their fifth straight appearance in the men's championship race, while the women's team will be competing at nationals for the fourth consecutive year.
For the latest news, updates, and information on Saint Leo men's and women's cross country and track sure to visit SaintLeoLions.com. Fans can also stay up-to-date on the latest Lions news by following Saint Leo Athletics on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
