LAKELAND, Fla. – Saint Leo men's cross country, ranked third in the region, qualified for the 2019 NCAA Division II Cross Country National Championships after placing third at the South Regional held at Holloway Park in Lakeland.
 
The Lions saw four runners inside the top-25 on the 10K course and earn All-South Region honors, with one just missing the honors. Tadgh McGinty, Shawn Bell, Shane Bracken, and Felix Nadeborn all finished inside the top-25 and earned the nod while Blake Watson finished under one-second behind 25^th place.
 
McGinty paced the group while Bell and Bracken were close on his heels, all three runners placing 14-16 in the standings. McGinty finished in a time of 32:48.87 for 14^th place, while Bell finished in 15^th at 32:49.35 and Bracken in 16^th at 32:49.78.
 
Nadeborn crossed the line in 33:16.99 for 24^th place. Blake Watson crossed the finish line as the fifth point-scorer in 26^th place at 33:19.19, helping push the Lions ahead of Embry-Riddle.
 
Pierre Galdbourdin and Fabio Fornarelli were the final two runners on the course for the Lions with Galdbourdin in 56^th (34:29.77) and Fornarelli in 63^rd (34:39.84).
 
The Lions were one of three teams that qualified for nationals, where Saint Leo joins Alabama-Huntsville (first, 52 points) and Lee (second, 77 points). The Green and Gold tallied 95 points, and fended off Sunshine State Conference foe Embry-Riddle (fourth, 128 points) for the final slot out of the South Regional.
 
Up Next
Saint Leo will travel to Sacramento, Calif. to participate in the 2019 NCAA DII Cross Country National Championship at Haggin Oaks Golf Complex.

 
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.