MELBOURNE, Fla.- (Results: Men | Women) - Saint Leo University sweeps the SSC Men's and Women's Cross Country Championships for the second time in three years. The 2016 event was hosted by Florida Tech at Wickham Park on October 22nd.
2016 Men's Cross Country Championship
Saint Leo finished with 30 team points to capture their third consecutive SSC championship. Led by the individual champion, Ronald Cheserek, the top five Lions' runners finished No. 1, No. 3, No. 4, No. 7, and No. 15.
Men's Team Scores:
1. Saint Leo, 30
2. Florida Southern, 41
3. Nova Southeastern, 64
4. Florida Tech, 100
5. Tampa, 112
6. Rollins, 190
Cheserek finished the 8,000 meter race with a time of 24:24.79, edging out Bobby Ormsby of Florida Southern (24:37.77). Rafal Matuszczak of Saint Leo rounded out the Top-3 finishers with a time of 24:55.31.
SSC Men's Cross Country Championship Team
1. Ronald Cheserek, Saint Leo
2. Bobby Ormsby, Florida Southern
3. Rafal Matuszcazk, Saint Leo
4. Anthony Deleva, Saint Leo
5. Evan Quinones, Florida Southern
6. Dean McGregor, Florida Southern
7. Niclas Bez, Saint Leo
8. Festus Kemboi, Florida Southern
9. Christian Oppel, Nova Southeastern
10. Tucker Melles, Florida Tech
2016 Women's Cross Country Championship
Saint Leo runners finished No. 1, No. 2, No. 5, No. 8, and No. 12 to score 28 points and win the program's second conference championship. The Lion's first championship came in 2014 when both SLU squads won took home trophies. The University of Tampa came in second place for a second consecutive year with a score of 55.
Women's Team Scores:
1. Saint Leo, 28
2. Tampa, 55
3. Florida Southern, 102
4. Palm Beach Atlantic, 105
5. Florida Tech, 121
6. Nova Southeastern, 132
7. Lynn, 172
8. Rollins, 260
Colett Rampf of Saint Leo wins the SSC championship for the third consecutive year. She finished with a time of 20:26.67. Rampf's teammate, Alyssa Bayliff, finished second with a time of 21:05.64. Claudia Cancello of Tampa took third with a time of 21:13.50.
SSC Women's Cross Country Championship Team
1.Colett Rampf, Saint Leo
2. Alyssa Bayliff, Saint Leo
3. Claudia Cancello, Tampa
4. Camryn Rickenbach, Palm Beach Atlantic
5. Laura Tobin, Saint Leo
6. Sara-Caitrin Mandelburg, Palm Beach Atlantic
7. Anabel Knoll, Nova Southeastern
8. Lauren Csubak, Saint Leo
9. Allison Wright, Florida Southern
10. Thea Ramsey, Tampa
NCAA Postseason:
Regional competition will be held on Saturday, November 5th or Sunday, November 6th in Saint Leo, Florida. NCAA Finals will be held Saturday, November 19th in Saint Leo, Florida. Saint Leo University and the Tampa Bay Sports Commission will host both races at the Abbey Course on the campus of Saint Leo University.
Note: Admission and parking is free.
Last Year
2015-16: Saint Leo repeated as the SSC men's champion in 2015. The Lions went on to win the regional. SLU, along with the Sharks of Nova Southeastern represented the conference at the national championship meet. Tampa repeated as women's regional champions following their victory at the SSC championship meet. The Spartans and the Saint Leo Lions represented the conference at the national championship meet.
2015 Men's & Women's Cross Country Championship