Nov. 8, 2007

NEW ORLEANS - Coaches Jennifer Michel of Western State and Jerry Baltes of Grand Valley State are among the 16 recipients of NCAA Division II Regional Athlete and Coach of the Year honors for the 2007 men's cross country season.

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

In her first season as Head Coach, Michel guided Western State to a one-point victory over Adams State at the North Central Regional last weekend. The Mountaineers are ranked No. 1 by the USTFCCCA.

Baltes enjoyed another outstanding fall at Grand Valley State, coaching the fourth-ranked Lakers to convincing wins at the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and Great Lakes Regional championships.

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 honorees:

Great Lakes Region

Men's coach: Jerry Baltes, Grand Valley State
In his ninth season at Grand Valley State, Baltes guided the Lakers to first-place finishes at the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and Great Lakes Regional. Baltes and the Lakers will try to improve on last year's fourth-place finish at the NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships.

Men's athlete: Nate Peck, Grand Valley State
Peck won the Great Lakes Regional for the fourth straight year, clocking 31:05.7 to finish 31 seconds in front of the field. Two weeks earlier, he won his third straight Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship. Peck finished 14th at the 2006 NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships. He is a senior from Marne, Mich.

East Region

Men's coach: Doug Watts, Edinboro
The Fighting Scots claimed the East Regional title with 47 points, placing four runners in the top 10. Watts also guided Edinboro to a narrow victory over Slippery Rock at the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference meet. Watts became Edinboro's head coach in 1969 and led the Fighting Scots to three straight NCAA Division II cross country team championships in 1986, '87 and '88.

Men's athlete: Jeff Weiss, Slippery Rock
Weiss won the East Regional by 29 seconds, clocking 30:32 over 10,000 meters. Weiss, a junior from Avella, Pa., placed sixth at the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference meet and was the top non-Division I finisher at the Penn State National Invitational, finishing third overall.

South Region

Men's coach: Rick Moody, Florida Southern
In his first season at Florida Southern following three years at Webber International, Moody led the Mocassins to their first-ever South Regional men's championship. Moody's five scorers all placed in the top 20 at the regional meet. Florida Southern earlier won the Sunshine State Conference title.

Men's athlete: Emmanuel Kirwa, Benedict
Kirwa followed up his victory at the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference meet with a 31:53.9 victory over Harding's Abraham Kiprotich at the South Region Championships. Kirwa, a freshman from Kapsabet, Kenya, also placed fifth at the Furman Invitational and was the top Division II finisher at the Morehouse/CAU Invitational.

South Central Region

Men's coach: Tom Rutledge, Missouri Southern State
The Lions upset defending NCAA champion Abilene Christian to win Saturday's North Regional. In his 19 seasons as Missouri Southern's coach, Rutledge has led the Lions to eight NCAA appearances. Missouri Southern's win at this year's Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association Championships gave Rutledge his seventh MIAA men's title.

Men's athlete: Serge Gasore, Abilene Christian
A key performer for the third-ranked Wildcats, Gasore finished first at the Lone Star Conference and South Central Region meets. He placed ninth at last year's NCAA Cross Country Championships as Abilene Christian won its first men's team title. Gasore is a junior from Kigali, Rwanda.

West Region

Men's coach: Gary Towne, Chico State
Towne guided the Wildcats to their sixth straight West Regional championship. Chico State scored 39 points to finish far in front of runner-up Western Washington. Towne, a 1991 graduate of Chico State who is in his 12th season as the head cross country coach, also won the California Collegiate Athletic Association title for the sixth time.

Men's athlete: John Riak, Saint Martin's
Riak won a highly competitive West Regional, clocking 30:32.75 as four others broke 30:50. Riak also won the Great Northwest Athletic Conference championship this fall. A junior from Lacey, Wash., Riak has won 12 cross country races during his collegiate career at Saint Martin's.

Northeast Region

Men's coach: Gary Gardner, UMass Lowell
Gardner has coached the River Hawks to NCAA appearances in each of his five years in Lowell. UMass finished second at the Northeast Regional, trailing first-place Stonehill by four points. The River Hawks were second at the New England Championships and tied for first with Stonehill at the Northeast-10 Conference meet.

Men's athlete: Evans Kigen, New York Institute of Technology
After leading NYIT to its first East Coast Conference title with his individual championship, Kigen raced to victory by more than six seconds at the Northeast Regional. Kigen, a sophomore from El Doret, Kenya, qualified for the NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships, to be held Nov. 17 in Joplin, Mo.

North Central Region

Men's coach: Jennifer Michel, Western State
In her first season as head coach of Western State's cross country team, Michel guided the Mountaineers to a one-point win over arch-rival Adams State at the North Central Regional. Western State finished second to Adams State at the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Championships. Michel was a three-time national champion for Western State in track and field.

Men's athlete: Laurent Ngirakamaro, New Mexico Highlands
Ngirakamaro ran away with the men's race at the North Central Regional, clocking 29:44.58 to finish first by more than 31 seconds. He also finished fifth at the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference meet and placed seventh at the Lobo Invitational. Ngirakamaro is a junior from Bururi, Burundi.

Southeast Region

Men's coach: Scott Simmons, Queens University of Charlotte
The Royals claimed their first regional title Saturday, scoring 40 points to win the Southeast Regional in Charlotte, N.C. Queens also won the Conference Carolinas championship. Simmons is in his first year as the men's and women's cross country and track coach at Queens after coaching Virginia Intermont to three straight NAIA cross country championships.

Men's athlete: Daniel Kanyaruhuru, Queens University of Charlotte
Kanyaruhuru continued an outstanding season by finishing nearly two minutes ahead of the field at the Southeast Regional. He won the Conference Carolinas championship by more than one minute and also placed third at the Blue Ridge Invitational.