Western runners rally at NCAA region championships

Prepare for Division II nationals

Washington Park in Denver was the site for the 2014 NCAA South Central Region Cross Country Championships on Saturday. Western State Colorado University cross-country had a strong showing, as the men’s team placed third and the women’s team placed second. Both teams qualified for the NCAA Division II Cross Country National Championships on December 6 in Louisville, Ky.

The Western women featured three U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association All-South Central Region runners, led by Cali Antolini (Jr., Fountain, Colo.). Antolini was the top Mountaineer runner, finishing sixth overall with a time of 22:59. The other USTFCCCA All-South Central Region runners on the women’s side were Torie Weprin (Sr., Lafayette, Colo.) and Amy Penn (So., Colorado Springs, Colo.). Weprin finished ninth with a time of 23:01, while Penn finished 14th in 23:14. Also scoring points for the Mountaineer women on Saturday were Sophie Seward (Fr., Marion, Ind.), finishing 30th, and Dominika Kaszuba (So., Poland), who placed 42nd.




Despite finishing third, the Western men managed to place all five scoring runners within the top 25 to earn USTFCCCA All-South Central Region honors. Those Mountaineer men earning region honors were Ian Butler (Sr., Lakewood, Colo.), Adam Sinda (Sr., Arvada, Colo.), Michael Cernoia (Jr., Pueblo, Colo.), John Patterson (So., Fort Collins, Colo.) and Tyler Gates (Sr., Antoch, Calif.). Butler led all Mountaineers, finishing fourth overall with a time of 31:57. Butler was followed by Sinda in 11th place, Cernoia in 17th, Patterson in 18th and Gates in 21st.

 Western will have two weeks to prepare for the national championships in Louisville.