Queens Men's & Women's Cross Country Teams Take NCAA SE Regional Titles; Both Earn Trip To NCAA National Championships

CHARLOTTE, N.C.- Queens University of Charlotte's women's cross country team clinched their first NCAA Southeast Regional Championship title in commanding fashion Saturday, outscoring runner-up King College 40-91 in the 31 team field. Both squads earned bids to the NCAA DII Cross Country Championships to be held in Louisville, Ky. on December 4, while 2009 region champions Columbus State missed a return trip by a mere two-point margin with 93 points.

The win marks the #19 nationally-ranked Royals' second team qualification to the national championships after their 2009 debut which saw them finish 20th.

Queens was led by junior Kimone Hewitt (Orange County, Calif., Segerstram High School) who vied for the individual title, but was not able to chase down All-American Kate Griewisch of Lenoir-Rhyne who bested the 188-woman field with an impressive 20:55.6 6k performance. Hewitt settled for runner-up with a national class mark of 21:32.1, while the Royals ruled the day bolstered by four All-Region performances, including, in addition to Hewitt, breakthrough performances by Maraya Slatter (Benson, N.C., West Johnston) in third (21:49.2); senior Jessica Neville (Cold Spring, N.Y., Haldane) in sixth (22:03.0); and Rosa Young (Spartanburg, South Carolina, Dorman Roebuck High School) in 12th at 22:24.0. Holly Annas (Granite Falls, N.C., South Caldwell) sealed the deal for Queens as fifth-woman coming in 17th at 23:05.3, while both Emilia Skolobowicz (Mystoice, Poland, Mystoice High School) and Mathilde Timboni added depth with their 20th (23:26.1) and 36th (24:05.5) places, respectively.

"This win marks a significant development in our women's program here at Queens," said coach Scott Simmons. "Our expectations are to finish higher than ever before nationally, and to remain the regional power in an increasingly competitive region with the addition of King and the huge steps forward by many many teams. The Southeast is about to make it's mark."

Region Athlete and Coach of the Year Awards will be voted upon Monday while all NCAA national qualifiers will be announced then too.

CHARLOTTE, N.C.- Queens University of Charlotte's men's cross country team continued their three year domination of the Southeast Region with their fourth consecutive win under coach Scott Simmons, despite competing short handed with only six harriers with their no. two man out due to an accidental knee trauma.

The Royals proved themselves the class of the field with a 36-point low score easily taking the title and earning their fourth NCAA berth. Queens bested runner-up Columbus State who scored 79, while Mars Hill finished third at 118 picking up the bonus berth in the 29-team field awarded to the region based upon Queens' seventh place national finish in 2009. All three schools will compete for the national title at the NCAA DII National Championships in Louisville, KY on December 4th.

The Royals' Michael Crouch (Yucca Valley, Calif., Yucca Valley) had to settle for second as Columbus State's Meshak Koyiaki again was the class of the day taking the title and posting an impressive 29:45.5 for 10,000-meters  in the 164-man field. Crouch posted a 29:47.8 for second and Queens' strength showed in the five-man All-Region performance that included fifth-place Simon Stuetzel (Meinborn, Germany) (31:07.3); seventh-place Alexander Schilling (Dresden, Germany, Sportgymnasium ) (31:12.9); ninth-place Nelson Mwangi (Kenya, Nairobi School) (31:24.8); and 14th-place Felix Duchampt (32:12.1).

The Royals hope to break through their seventh-place glass ceiling at the national championships as they have twice in the past two years finished in that spot. Queens matched its seventh place ranking in 2009 despite a tragic DNF by no. 2 man Futsum Mebrahtu (Phoenix, Ariz., North).

"This team keeps getting better and better down to a man," said coach Scott Simmons. "Our goal is just to be as good as we are. And that'll be good enough when it counts."

Simmons knows something about national titles and the Louisville course. Out of five NAIA national cross country titles, four of Simmons' squads have actually won at Louisville's Tom Sawyer State Park making him undefeated for national titles in Louisville. It's a high bar for the Royals as the No. 1 ranked defending champions Adams State have taken the national title the last two years.

Southeast Region Athlete and Coach of the Year Awards will be voted upon Monday while all NCAA national qualifiers will be announced then too.