2011 NCAA Division 1 Cross Country XC ChampionshipsNov 30, 2011 by FloTrack Staff
2011 FloAwards Final List (Nov 30th release)
2011 FloAwards Final List (Nov 30th release)
FLOAWARDS Final List (Nov 30th release)
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Lawi Lalang (Arizona), NCAA Champ  Lalang continued his dominance of the NCAA XC scene in Terre Haute as he made a break around 4k, never looked back and won his first NCAA title by 13 seconds. Lawi ran the second fastest time ever on the LaVern Gibson Cross Country Course, a time of 28:44 that is only three seconds off the course record mark set by Sam Chelanga in 2009. Lalang has three more years so challengers best step up their game! Until then, look for this FloRunner of the year to make his mark soon on a track near you... |
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Sheila Reid (Villanova), NCAA Repeat Champ  As if winning one wasn't hard enough, Reid came in the clear favorite and delivered as she took home her second consecutive NCAA Cross Country title and fourth individual NCAA title in the past year. Last fall really catipulted her into a great track season and if it happens that way again Reid will be remembered as one of the best collegiate distance runners in NCAA history. It will be an easy task as there were about eight ladies on her heels over the final 400 meters in Terre Haute. Congrats to Sheila in her last xc race as a Villanova Wildcat. |
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Wisconsin Men - Coach Mick Bryne Its hard to imagine that will all his success over the years that Mick had never won an NCAA title. Without a doubt 2011 was his year and was Wisconsin's year. The Badgers went through ever meet controlled, confident and unified as they solidified a number one ranking going into the NCAA Cross Country Championships and an average spread of 18 seconds between the top five runners. The squad ended the day in Terre Haute with four All-Americans (nearly five) and a 42 point victory over the two-time defend champion Oklahoma State Cowboys. The two teams made the fall exciting to follow and in the end we saw Wisconsin win their fifth NCAA title and first since 2005. The squad will loose two of the top five in Krause and Collins but return three All-Americans including 2012 individual contender, Mo Ahmed. Not a bad group to build around defending a title. |
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Georgetown Women - Coach Chris Miltenburg Through the season its known as FloTeam, but when awarded it's FloCoach and that's exactly what coach Chris Miltenburg deserves. Coming in with a 4th place team from 2010 that returned six runners, the Hoyas were ranked number one in the country through the month of September. After some unexpected injuries and a slow start to team leader Emily Infeld that outlook changed and the Hoyas found themselves looking like an outside shot at a podium finish. However, come regionals the ladies seemed to be peaking right as they tied a top ranked Villanova team and all of a sudden were back in the mix . The team ended up winning the program's first ever NCAA Cross Country title and the impressive thing about it was that it was with a team that had four new faces from the 2010 squad...including three freshmen! As we look to 2012, throw Rachel Schneider and Madeline Chambers back into the mix and all of a sudden the Hoyas have five potential All-Americans to defend their title... |
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Craig Lutz (Texas) - 33rd overall Maybe not the your first choice at the beginning of the year with names like Verzbicas, Moussa and Rosa in the mix, Lutz made a huge mark on the collegiate scene when he finished an unexpected 15th at the Wisconsin Invite back in mid-October. Craig proved to be no fluke as he continue his 2011 tear with top four finishes at both the Big 12 Championships and South Central Regional. He stayed consistent over 10k as he grab an All-American spot and showed us toughest that we have seen in some of the best. Look for Lutz to make a crack at the top ten over the next two years and maybe even more... |
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Waverly Neer (Columbia) - 40th overall Dealing with injury earlier in the season and even as close as six weeks before nationals, it didn't seem like Neer would have a shot to be the top frosh in a strong first year class. Not only did she come back to win the FloFrosh award for 2011, she was also able to grab the last All-American spot at the NCAA Championships. The high school indoor 5k record holder has made a great transition to the collegiate ranks and we look forward to seeing her compete on the track. Being at Columbia, we're sure to see her at the Armory in the not too distant future. |