SAINT LEO, Fla. – After heavy rain over the past 48 hours and temperatures dropping below 60-degrees on race day, Saint Leo men's and women's cross country hosted the 2021 NCAA Division II South Regional at the Abbey Golf Course Saturday morning where the Green and Gold cheered on Shane Bracken to a South Region individual title. Arthur Cosson joined Bracken in the top-five of the regional to qualify too for the National Championship on November 20. 
 
Shane Bracken clocked a time of 31:21.89, besting second place by 18.6-seconds to claim the South Region individual title Saturday. The Foxford, Ireland native hung in the lead group for the entire race, pacing himself behind Christian Noble (Lee) and Mason Jones (Florida Southern) before outlasting them down the final stretch. Bracken, who took first out of the 134 runners, passed the Sunshine State Conference Champion, Mason Jones, and Noble in the final 2,000-meters after trailing them both for every time split. Through the first split, at the 3K mark, Bracken was in sixth before climbing to third at the 6.5K and to first at the end of the 10K.
 
Arthur Cosson finished in fifth place at the regional to earn his spot to nationals in a time of 32:05.95.
 
Finishing inside the top-25, both Bracken and Cosson earned U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Region honors on the 10K course.
 
As a team, the Lions finished sixth out of 18 teams with 167 total points. Lee (Tenn.) was crowned the South Region Champions with a total of 48 points, ahead of Alabama-Huntsville (59) and Mississippi College (97). Embry-Riddle (106) and Florida Southern (117) rounded out the top-five teams in fourth and fifth, respectively.
 
6^th – Saint Leo – 167 points
1^st – Shane Bracken – 31:21.89
5^th – Arthur Cosson – 32:05.95
50^th – Fabio Fornarelli – 34:20.70
58^th – Yassin Raffay – 34:40.61
82^nd – Alexis Giraudineau – 35:44.45
85^th – Aidan O'Leary – 35:49.55
 
Up Next
The Lions will now cheer on Shane Bracken and Arthur Cosson on November 20 at the Abbey Golf Course in the 2021 NCAA DII National Championship race.
 
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.