RESULTS: MEN'S (PDF) | WOMEN'S (PDF)
VIDEO INTERVIEWS: DEKAY, MARUPING & WEIR | FORESTER & SALTZMAN | MOREAUX
PHOTOS: GALLERY | SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE GALLERY
THIBODAUX – After finishing oh-so-close a year ago the University of New Orleans Women's Cross Country team would not be denied winning the 2022 Southland Championship by 55 points over second place Lamar on Friday morning.
Tallying the lowest Southland Championship point total since Lamar in 2014, the Privateer women placed four inside the top-10 finishers with all nine ladies setting a new personal best at the 6K distance.
Sophomore Ariana Jimenez continued her sensational season finishing in second with a time of 20:52.48, while Tshwanelo Maruping earned Southland Newcomer of the Year Honors with a third-place finish of 20:57.77. Both were named first team All-Southland.
For the second straight race Alexandra Weir and Rebecca DeKay finished together. Weir's time of 21:19.03 was good enough for seventh place, with DeKay finishing right behind her in eighth with a time of 21:20.89. Those top eight finishes earned the pair second team All-Southland honors. Just missing out on All-Southland honors were Anna Martin who finished in 12th place with a time of 21:28.16 and Mathilde Helms-Kjaer who finished in 16th with a time of 21:47.84.
Head Coach Brock Moreaux was named Southland Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year in his first season at the helm of Privateer Cross Country.
The victory was the second Southland women's Championship at the University, joining women's tennis' regular season championship in 2021, and just the third ever women's conference championship in any league for New Orleans along with 2021 women's tennis, and the 2000 Sun Belt Champion Women's Cross Country team.
The Privateer men also had a historic morning on the bayou finishing in third place with 81 points after a 5-4 tiebreaker over McNeese. Kolyn Saltzman earned first team All-Southland honors after finishing in fourth place with at time of 24:00.18, while Jaden Forester earned second team honors after finishing in ninth place with a time of 24:23.09.
After finishing back-to-back years in fourth place, today's third place finish is the best conference championship finish in program history, and the team's total of 81 points is their lowest point total ever in a conference championship meet. The men's team has improved upon its point total, and placement in the Southland Conference Championship every year since Coach Moreaux arrived on the Lakefront in 2018.
Four Privateer men set personal bests at Nicholls Farm: Mason Appleton (25:28.69), Gary Sandrock (25:30.15), Alex Soileau (25.41.42) and Antonio Delgado (27:32.40).
UNO WOMEN'S RESULTS
2 Ariana Jimenez 20:52.48*
3 Tshwanelo Maruping 20:57.77*
7 Alexandra Weir 21:19.03*
8 Rebecca DeKay 21:20.89*
12 Anna Martin 21:28.16*
16 Mathilde Helms-Kjaer 21:47.84*
28 Michelle Folk 22:30.20*
33 Oxana Bonjorn-Giros 22:59.30*
52 Holly Hedrick 24:36.32*
* personal best
WOMEN'S TEAM RESULTS
1 New Orleans 32
2 Lamar 87
3 UIW 91
4 McNeese 103
5 HCU 118
6 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 130
7 Nicholls 130
8 Texas A&M-Commerce 230
9 Southeastern 236
10 Northwestern State 304
ALL-SOUTHLAND WOMEN
1st Team - Joy Gill (UIW) – SLC Runner of the Year / SLC Freshman of the Year
1st Team - Ariana Jimenez (UNO)
1st Team - Tshawnelo Maruping (UNO) – SLC Newcomer of the Year
1st Team - Yasmin Austridge (LU)
1st Team - Faith Bett (TAMUCC)
2nd Team - Jessica Rabius (HCU)
2nd Team - Alexandra Weir (UNO)
2nd Team - Rebecca Dekay (UNO)
2nd Team - Jillian Howard (LU)
2nd Team - Nia Clatworthy (LU)
Coach of the Year – Brock Moreaux (UNO)
UNO MEN'S RESULTS
4 Kolyn Saltzman 24:00.18
9 Jaden Forester 24:23.09
19 Ryan Guenthner 25:00.26
21 Cade Litolff 25:05.09
28 Mason Appleton 25:28.69*
29 Gary Sandrock 25:30.15*
32 Alex Soileau 25:41.42*
66 Antonio Delgado 27:32.40*
* personal best
MEN'S TEAM RESULTS
1 UIW 62
2 Lamar 72
3 New Orleans 81
4 McNeese 81
5 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 119
6 Texas A&M-Commerce 143
7 HCU 152
8 Nicholls 220
9 Northwestern State 274
10 Southeastern 317
ALL-SOUTHLAND MEN
1st Team - Dennis Kipngeno (TAMUCC) – SLC Runner of the Year
1st Team - George Wheeler (LU)
1st Team - Enock Kimutai (TAMUCC) – SLC Newcomer of the Year
1st Team - Kolyn Saltzman (UNO)
1st Team - Giffin Neal (UIW)
2nd Team - Eli Peveto (LU)
2nd Team - Christopher Daniels (UIW)
2nd Team - Omer El-Fadl (McNeese)
2nd Team - Jaden Forester (UNO)
2nd Team – Justice Artisst (HCU)
SLC Freshman of the Year – Evans Kemboi (McNeese)
SLC Coach of the Year – Dr. Derek Reidel (UIW)
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