Women's Cross Country | Nov 04, 2017

LAKELAND, Fla. – The NCAA South Region championship that has for so long eluded the Saint Leo women's cross country team is finally theirs.

Saint Leo turned in a dominating performance befitting its veteran lineup on Saturday at Lakeland's Holloway Park, capturing the program's first NCAA South Region women's cross country crown. In doing so, the Lions overtook the Lee University (Tenn.) team that had been ahead of them in the regional rankings for much of the season, as well as the Embry-Riddle squad that beat out Saint Leo by a heartbreaking four points for the Sunshine State Conference championship two weeks ago.

The Lions' South Region championship also eases the memories of three straight years of second-place showings at the NCAA regional meet – the last two of those on Saint Leo's home course.

Saint Leo tallied 78 points in the final team scoring summary, while Lee finished with 94 points. Embry-Riddle was a distant third with 104 points, followed by Tampa with 134 points.

The South Region championship gives Saint Leo women's cross country an automatic qualifier into the NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships, which will be held November 18 in Evansville, Ind.

"We've been hunting all season. We've been hunting for four years for this," said Kent Reiber, Saint Leo's head cross country coach. "To go out with this group and run the way they ran is absolutely incredible. If I to say it came down to one person, I couldn't… this group ran so well together."

Senior Colett Rampf captured her third straight NCAA South Region individual crown, crossing the finish line in 20:49.14.

Rampf, as it turns out, had ample time to rest and recover before welcoming the second-place finisher across the line, West Alabama's Caren Bartuin, who finished 52 seconds later.

Yes, 52 seconds.

Junior Alyssa Bayliff finished sixth overall with a time of 22:01.85, with classmate Laura Tobin crossing in ninth place in 22:35.91. Saint Leo was the only team with three finishers among the top 10.

Or the top 15, for that matter. Senior Lauren Csubak finished 15th with a time of 22:50.54, setting a new personal best time at the 6K distance. All four runners – Rampf, Bayliff, Tobin, and Csubak – were named to the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-South Region team.

Senior Haley Roussell iced the regional title for the Lions as the number five runner across the line, posting a time of 23:50.41 and finishing 47th in the field of 116 runners.

"Haley (Roussell) ran an absolutely remarkable race… she was really the person who solidified our win," said Reiber. "Our top four women ran phenomenally like they always do, and then Haley came through with arguably the best race of her entire Saint Leo career – maybe even her entire life."

Freshman Mercy Kibet and sophomore Fatima Abu-Rumman were the sixth and seventh runners across the line for Saint Leo. Kibet clocked a time of 24:30.69 and was 67th overall, 66th in points, while Abu-Rumman posted a time of 25:02.74 and was 78th overall, 77th in points.

That team effort will give Saint Leo women's cross country its fourth straight trip to the NCAA Championship meet, with the most experienced lineup the Lions have enjoyed in years.

"To be an underdog and then to come out with a win is so much sweeter than being ranked in the top three and finishing in the top three, so we're excited and looking forward to the NCAA Championship."

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.