Nov. 15, 2007

NEW ORLEANS - Brian Diemer and Jed Christiansen of Calvin's top-ranked men's team are among those selected as NCAA Division III Regional Men's Coaches and Athletes of the Year for the 2007 collegiate cross country season.

Diemer coached the Knights to a runaway victory at the Midwest Regional. Christiansen, a Calvin senior, won the Midwest individual title.

The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association honors the top coaches and athletes in each of the eight Division III regions. Regional championships were held Saturday, Nov. 10.

Each of the honorees will be coaching or competing in the NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships. The national meet will be held Nov. 17 in St. Olaf, Minn. Calvin is the defending men's champion.

The coaches and athletes of the year were selected by coaches within their respective regions. This year's regional honorees:

Atlantic Region

Men's coach: Nick McDonough, NYU
McDonough's second-ranked Violets won University Athletic Association and Atlantic Region titles. NYU also won four invitational races this fall. McDonough is in his 11th season as NYU's head cross country coach. The Violets finished second to Calvin at last year's NCAA cross country meet.

Men's athlete: Peter Kosgei, Hamilton
Kosgei is undefeated in nine races entering the NCAA Championships. Kosgei won individual titles at the Atlantic Region, New York State College and New England Small College Athletic Conference meets. Kosgei is a sophomore from Kapsabet, Kenya.

Central Region

Men's coach: Ted Bulling, Nebraska Wesleyan
Bulling's 18th season as the men's cross country coach brought victories at the Great Plains Athletic Conference and Central Region championships. The ninth-ranked Prairie Wolves won the Central Regional by 21 points, placing three runners in the top 15. Bulling's men have qualified for 11 straight NCAA Cross Country Championships.

Men's athlete: Chris Erichsen, Saint John's (Minn.)
Erichsen won the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference by nearly one minute and followed it up with a 12-second victory at the Central Regional. He also won two invitational races this fall. Erichsen is a senior from Spring Valley, Minn.

Mideast Region

Men's coach: Tom Donnelly, Haverford
Donnelly's men won the Mideast Regional for the fifth straight year, scoring 45 points to finish seven points ahead of Allegheny. Haverford won its 15th straight Centennial Conference title, sweeping the first four individual places. The fifth-ranked Fords will try to improve on last year's 10th-place finish at the NCAA Championships. Donnelly, an All-American runner at Villanova, is in his 32nd year as the cross country and track coach at Haverford.

Men's athlete: Brian Harvey, Carnegie Mellon
Harvey's strong kick over the final quarter-mile gave him a narrow over Allegheny's Ryan Place at the Mideast Regional. Harvey finished fourth at the University Athletic Association meet and was the top collegiate finisher at the Carnegie Mellon Invitational. Harvey is a junior from Ellicott City, Md.

Great Lakes Region

Men's coach: Brian Diemer, Calvin
Calvin's dynasty continued apace in 2007 as the top-ranked Knights steamrolled to Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association and Great Lakes Region championships. The MIAC title was Calvin's 30th in a row, and the regional crown was its 11th straight. . The Knights are shooting for their fourth national title in five years at the NCAA Division III Championships.

Men's athlete: Jed Christiansen, Calvin
Christiansen's individual title led the defending NCAA champion Knights to an overwhelming 87-point victory at the Great Lakes Regional. Christiansen was a close second at the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championships, andthe placed fourth at the Notre Dame Invitational. A junior from Greenville, Pa., Christiansen finished fifth at last year's NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships.

New England Region

Men's coach: Erik Nedeau, Amherst
Despite not having an individual place higher than ninth, the Lord Jeffs won the New England Regional by one point over arch-rival Williams. Amherst also finished second at the NESCAC Championships and was third at the ECAC meet. Nedeau is in his 12th season at Amherst.

Men's athlete: Edgar Kosgey, Williams
Kosgey continued his winning ways at the New England Regional, claiming a five-second victory. He also won individual titles at the Little Three and Plansky Invitational meets and was third at the New England Small College Athletic Conference Championships. Kosgey is a sophomore from Eldoret, Kenya.

South/Southeast Region

Men's coach: Robert Shankman, Rhodes
The Lynx tied Emory for the Southeast Region title. Both teams scored 76 points, but the fifth runner from Rhodes finished ahead of Emory's fifth man. It was Shankman's first regional title in seasons at Rhodes, and his 31st-ranked men will be making their second straight appearance at the NCAA Championships. Shankman was a hurdler at Rhodes in the 1970s.

Men's athlete: R.J. Cowan, Texas-Tyler Cowan edged teammate Ben Donnan by three seconds to win the South/Southeast Regional in Williamsburg, Va. Cowan earlier finished second to Donnan as Texas-Tyler won the American Southwest Conference title with a perfect score of 15 points. Cowan is a junior from Tyler.

West Region

Men's coach: Robert Bartlett, Occidental
In Bartlett's first season as head coach, No. 19 Occidental qualified for the NCAA Championships by placing second at the West Regional with 72 points. The Tigers also claimed their second straight Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title. Bartlett was an all-conference sprinter for Oxy in 2003.

Men's athlete: Kevin Chaves, Occidental
Chaves sped to an 11-second victory at Saturday's West Regional after winning the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title two weeks earlier, A senior from Los Altos, Ca., Chaves has won three straight races heading into the NCAA meet.

Midwest Region

Men's coach: Rick Witt, Wisconsin-Stevens Point
The sixth-ranked Pointers gave powerhouse UW-La Crosse a battle at the Midwest Regional, scoring 76 points to finish second by six points and gain an automatic NCAA berth. Stevens Point finished second by 25 points to La Crosse at the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference meet. Witt is in his 30th season as Stevens Point's head cross country coach.

Men's athlete: Tyler Sigl, Wisconsin-Platteville
Sigl won his third straight Midwest Regional title Saturday in Winneconne, Wisc. He clocked 24:02 for 8,000 meters to break the course record he set two weeks earlier in winning the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship. Sigl, a senior from Seymour, Wisc., placed 10th at the 2007 NCAA Division III cross country meet.