Nov. 8, 2007

NEW ORLEANS - Damon Martin and Tanya Gaurmer of top-ranked Adams State are among the 16 recipients of NCAA Division II Regional Athlete and Coach of the Year honors for the 2007 women's cross country season.

The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association honor the men's and women's coaches and athletes of the year for eight regions.

Adams State won Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference and North Central Region championships this fall while ranking first in the nation all season. Martin's Grizzlies are favored to win their fifth straight national championship later this month. Gaurmer's individual win helped Adams State win the North Central Regional by 58 points.

Each of the regional honorees will coach or compete at the NCAA Division II Men's and Women's Cross Country Championships, to be held Nov. 17 in Joplin, Mo.

This year's regional awards:

Great Lakes Region

Women's coach: Jerry Baltes, Grand Valley State
With a remarkable display of group running, Grand Valley State brought Baltes his seventh straight Great Lakes Region women's championship. The third-ranked Lakers claimed places six through 10 to win team honors with 40 points. Grand Valley State earlier won its seventh consecutive Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title. Baltes is in his ninth season as the men's and women's cross country coach at Grand Valley State.

Women's athlete: Rachelle Malette, Wayne State University
Malette's tremendous season includes victories at the Great Lakes Regional and Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Championships. She enters the NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships having won five of her last six races. Malette is a junior from Windsor, Ontario.

East Region

Women's coach: Karen Brandt, Bloomsburg
Brandt's ninth season as the women's cross coach at Bloomsburg was historic as the Huskies won their first-ever East Regional and Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference titles. Bloomsburg enters the NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships ranked ninth in the country by the USTFCCCA.

Women's athlete: Rachel Lanzel, Edinboro
Lanzel dominated the East Regional, winning by 31 seconds. She earlier placed second at the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Championships. A two-time All-American in cross country, Lanzel placed fourth at the 2006 NCAA Division II Championships. She is a senior from St. Marys, Pa.

West Region

Women's coach: Doris Heritage, Seattle Pacific
Seattle Pacific placed three runners in the top six to claim its first regional title since 1996. Heritage's Falcons scored 45 points to defeat pre-meet favorite Cal State L.A. for the title. Seattle Pacific also won its third straight Great Northwest Athletic Conference women's championship. Heritage, a member of the USTFCCCA Hall of Fame, has led the Falcons to 10 top-10 finishes at the NCAA Championships.

Women's athlete: Jessica Pixler, Seattle Pacific
Pixler won Great Northwest Athletic Conference and West Regional titles for the second straight year. A sophomore from Samammish, Wash., Pixler clocked 19:52.9 over 6,000 meters to win the regional title by 33 seconds. Pixler placed 10th in the 2006 NCAA Cross Country Championships as a freshman.

South Region

Women's coach: Jarett Slaven, Tampa
Slaven claimed his second regional title in eight seasons at Tampa when the Spartans scored 40 points to win the South Region championship by 15 points over runner-up Harding. Tampa also won its fifth Sunshine State Conference title in six years. Slaven was named the Sunshine Conference Coach of the Year for both men and women. The Spartans finished first or second in each of their six meets this fall.

Women's athlete: Janee Jones, Harding
Jones raced to victory at the South Regional, clocking 21:17 for 6,000 meters to edge Tampa's Laura Woznicki by a second and a half. Jones earlier won her second straight Gulf South Conference title. Jones, a junior from Goodrich, Mich., is a two-time All-American in cross country.

Northeast Region

Women's coach: Karen Boen, Stonehill
Boen's Skyhawks won the Northeast Region championship for the seventh time in the last eight years. Stonehill also won the Northeast-10 Conference title. Boen also has won three men's regional titles in her five seasons as the men's and women's cross country coach at Stonehill.

Women's athlete: Nicole Radzik, Bryant
Radzik earned her second straight NCAA berth with a first-place finish at the Northeast Regional. Radzik has won five individual titles this fall, including a victory at the Northeast-10 Conference Championships. Radzik is a senior from Sutton, Mass.

South Central Region

Women's coach: Patty Vavra, Missouri Southern State
Vavra's 13th season at Missouri Southern is shaping up as her best yet. The Lions won the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association title and followed up on their conference championship with a 36-point win over Abilene Christian at the South Central Regional. The women's conference title was Vavra's third at Missouri Southern, her alma mater.

Women's athlete: Jonel Rossbach, Emporia State
Rossbach won her second straight Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association individual title and placed second at the South Central Regional to qualify for the NCAA Championships. Rossbach finished 17th at the 2006 national meet. She is a senior from Omaha.

North Central Region

Women's coach: Damon Martin, Adams State
Martin's top-ranked Grizzlies swept everything in their path. Adams State won its fifth North Central Region title in six years and claimed its sixth straight Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference championship. Martin has won 12 NCAA women's cross country championships at Adams State.

Women's athlete: Tanya Gaurmer, Adams State
The top runner on the nation's top-ranked team, Gaurmer claimed the North Central Region title by 11 seconds. She also placed third at the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Championships. Gaurmer finished second in the 1,500 meters at last year's NCAA Division II Track and Field Championships. She is a senior from Westminster, Colo.

Southeast Region

Women's coach: Craig McPhail, Lees-McRae
The Bobcats had an outstanding season, winning the Southeast Region and Conference Carolinas championships. Lees-McRae scored 70 points at the Southeast Regional to finish 47 points in front of runner-up Wingate. McPhail has guided the Bobcats to seven conference and two regional championships in his nine seasons at Lees-McRae.

Women's athlete: Stellah Sang, District of Columbia
Sang's victory at the Southeast Regional made her the first UDC runner to qualify for the national championships in school history. Sang won four out of six races this fall, including a 13-second victory at the Southeast Regional. A sophomore from Kapsabet, Kenya, Sang transferred to UDC from Lindsey Wilson College.