UT Women Claim NCAA South Region Title, Men Register Record Finish

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. - The University of Tampa men's and women's cross country teams each turned in record-breaking performances as the women won the NCAA II South Regional as men finished second. Both teams earned the right to advance to the NCAA II Championships.

The first-place finish by the women is the second in program history and the first since 2004 as the Spartans finished second in 2004 and 2005. The men, who have never finished higher than fourth, will make the program's first NCAA Finals appearance.

Laura Woznicki led the UT women with a second place finish in the field of 155 runners. She finished with a time of 21:19.0. All five Spartan runners finished in the top 15 as Jessica Forrester was fifth, Paige Williams was seventh, Julia Vola was 12th and Alysha Duffy was 14th. Other Spartans who ran were Dara Fox (27th) and Michelle Gabrielle (37th).

The men were led by Tony Nicolosi, who turned in an eighth place finish with a time of 32:54.9. David Forry finished 14 while Jeremy Lautzenheiser and Chris Catanach finished 23rd and 35th respectively. Matt Hockenjos was 36th while Kevin Lane placed 72nd and Gordon Wright was 93rd.

The Spartans now set their sights on the NCAA Championships on Saturday, November 17 in Joplin, Mo.