NEW ORLEANS – Heather Nicolosi and Jarrett Slaven were major award winners as the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) announced on Tuesday the winners of USTFCCCA Region Athletes and Coaches of the Year honors for the 2011 cross country season in Division II as voted by the division’s coaches.
Nicolosi, a senior from Seminole, Fla., won the South Regional by nearly 30 seconds with a course-record time of 21:43 for her second-straight regional title. Nicolosi earns the award for the second consecutive season as she is the first Spartan in program history to earn the honor multiple times.
Slaven’s Spartans scored just 28 points for a near-100-point victory to take the South region. His top four scorers placed in the race’s top ten and included region winner Heather Nicolosi. Tampa also won the Sunshine State title this season for the eighth time in nine years. Slaven is in his 13th year at Tampa and has now won the top coach honors for five straight years.
The GNAC will host the NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships, Saturday, November 19, at the Plantes Ferry Sports Complex in Spokane, Wash.