Men's Cross Country | Nov 04, 2017
LAKELAND, Fla. – Saint Leo men's cross country will be headed to the NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships for a fifth straight year after finishing third at the 2017 NCAA South Region Cross Country Championships on Saturday morning at Lakeland's Holloway Park.
The Lions finished with 141 points, behind the South Region championship squad from Lee University (Tenn.) with 82 points, and second-place Alabama-Huntsville with 92 points. The top three teams at the South Region meet earn automatic qualifiers to the NCAA Championship meet.
The sweetest part for Saint Leo was that their third place showing was 10 points better than fourth-place Florida Southern, knocking the Mocs out of a top-three finish and an automatic qualifier slot. Florida Southern edged Saint Leo for the top spot at the Sunshine State Conference Cross Country Championships two weeks ago, denying the Lions a fourth-straight SSC championship.
"What a phenomenal race!" said a beaming
Kent Reiber, Saint Leo's head cross country coach, at the finish.
"We told the guys before the race that they had to step up today and do what they're capable of, and that's exactly what they did. Even with some of our guys having an off day, we had other guys pick it up and finish higher," said Reiber.
Sophomore
Ronald Cheserek won the NCAA South Region individual championship, crossing the line first in a field of 117 runners with a time of 32:32.61. Cheserek beat out the second-place finisher, West Alabama's Victor Onyango, by a little under two seconds to win his first regional crown, after finishing second a year ago on Saint Leo's home course.
Senior
Anthony Deleva finished 22nd overall with a time of 34:00.04, earning U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-South Region honors along with Cheserek.
Senior Joseph Fuller crossed 28th overall, 27th in points, in 34:15.43 – posting almost an identical time to what he ran in the 2016 South Region 10K race, but finishing 24 places higher in the field. Senior
Joshua Sickinger was 46th overall, 44th in points, after crossing the finish line in 34:53.18, while freshman
Tadgh McGinty recorded a time of 34:59.51 and was 49th overall, 47th in points.
"Joe Fuller essentially sealed the race for us," said Reiber. "His push after the 5K mark really helped solidify our third place position. That was by far the best race he's ever run in the Green and Gold."
Sophomore
Tyler Pantley and freshman
Ethan Markey were the pushers for Saint Leo. Pantley was 57th overall, 55th in points, with a time of 35:12.18, while Markey hit the line at 36:19.54 and was 75th overall, 70th in points.
"For Ronald (Cheserek) to come away with a regional title is huge, and just to make it back in - knowing we are third but that originally we were probably on the outside looking in – is so sweet to be able to say we can go back to the NCAA national championship with that automatic bid, and see what we've got."
The NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships will take place on November 18 in Evansville, Ind., at Angel Mounds State Park.
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.
