OFFICIAL LSWA RELEASE | ALL-LOUISIANA PRIVATEERS (incomplete list)
NEW ORLEANS – Head Coach
Brock Moreaux as well as juniors
Tshwanelo Maruping and
Kolyn Saltzman were honored by the Louisiana Sportswriter's Association on Thursday afternoon with the release of this season's All-Louisiana Cross Country teams and awards. In addition, five Privateers earned All-Louisiana status for their performances on the course this season.
BROCK MOREAUX NAMED WOMEN'S COACH OF THE YEAR
Moreaux added a second "Coach of the Year" trophy to his mantelpiece after being named Southland Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year in October. Moreaux led the UNO women to their first Southland Championship – just the third women's conference championship in any sport in school history. The Privateers had four women finish inside the top-10, and five in the top-12 on their way to a 55-point margin of victory, the largest by a Southland Champion since 2014.
Moreaux coached six Privateers to All-Southland honors (four women, two men) and this year's Southland Newcomer of the Year (Maruping). Both of his teams finished ranked No. 6 in the South Central Region after finishing sixth at the NCAA South Central Regional.
Ariana Jimenez,
Alexandra Weir, and
Kolyn Saltzman earned USTFCCCA All-Region status – the second straight season with three or more selections for New Orleans.
His teams were strong in the classroom as well with both programs earning All-Academic recognition by the USTFCCCA. Individually
Jaden Forester, Weir, and
Cade Litolff earned Southland All-Academic status, while Weir was also recognized as an All-Academic by the USTFCCCA.
KOLYN SALTZMAN NAMED MEN'S CO-RUNNER OF THE YEAR
Kolyn Saltzman was named Louisiana Co-Runner of the Year alongside Tulane's Bradley Makuvire – the first men's Runner of the Year for the Cross Country program in school history.
Saltzman finished in fourth place at the 2022 Southland Championships and earned first-team All-Southland status after his 8K time of 23:55.18. Kolyn now owns seven of the top-10 and eight of the top-12 8K marks in program history – three of which he set last year.
The New Iberia native was the top finisher for the Privateer men at the NCAA South Central Regional. His 11th-place finish helped guide the UNO men to sixth – their best-ever finish at an NCAA Regional, and his time of 30:53.3 set a new school record in the 10K. Kolyn now owns the top three 10K times in school history, all set at South Central Regionals over the past three seasons.
TSHWANELO MARUPING NAMED LOUISIANA WOMEN'S NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR
For the third straight year the Women's Louisiana Newcomer of the Year belonged to the Privateers after Maruping was named Louisiana Newcomer of the Year on Wednesday afternoon – her third such honor this year after being named both the Southland Conference's Cross Country and Indoor Track and Field Newcomer of the Year earlier this year.
'Nelo became just the third-ever Privateer woman to medal at a Southland Cross Country Championship after finishing the 6K race time of 20:57 – the sixth best among all female runners in Louisiana this season, and first among those in the first year at their school. Her time from Thibodaux is also a top-five mark at UNO since the program restarted in 2011.
FIVE PRIVATEERS EARN ALL-LOUISIANA STATUS
For the second straight year, the UNO women had three women earn All-Louisiana honors after Jimenez, Maruping, and Weir posted top-7 times in Louisiana at the 6K distance. Ariana's third-place finish at the Southland Championships clocked in at 20:52.0, while Tshwanelo finished in fourth place with a time of 20:57.0. Weir finished her South Central Regional race in 21:11.80.
Saltzman and Forester earned All-Louisiana status together for the second time (also in 2020). Saltzman's time of 23:55.0 was good for a fourth-place finish in this year's Southland Conference Championships, and the second-fastest time in Louisiana this season. Forester finished his Southland Championship race in ninth place with a time of 24:18.0 – the fifth fastest time in the 8K by a Louisiana student-athlete this year.
Saltzman became the first men's cross country student-athlete in school history to be a four-time All-Louisiana selection on Thursday afternoon as well. He joins former New Orleans standout Arina Kleshchukova (2018-2021) as the only four-time All-Louisiana cross Country selection in school history.
Combined New Orleans had five members on the All-Louisiana Cross Country teams – the most of any school in the state, and the most combined selections in school history. UNO winning three of the seven major awards handed out is also the most among schools in Louisiana.
All-Louisiana Privateer Cross Country (Men)
1993 Austin Matulonis
2002 Omar Smith
2019
Kolyn Saltzman
2020
Kolyn Saltzman
2020
Jaden Forester
2021
Kolyn Saltzman
2022
Jaden Forester
2022
Kolyn Saltzman
All-Louisiana Privateer Cross Country (Women)
2002 Pavlina Vondrkova
2002 Sara Meza
2005 Diana Jepchirchir
2012 Jessica Stone
2018 Arina Kleschukova
2019 Arina Kleschukova
2020 Arina Kleschukova
2021 Arina Kleschukova
2021
Ariana Jimenez
2021
Alexandra Weir
2022
Ariana Jimenez
2022
Tshwanelo Maruping
2022
Alexandra Weir
Louisiana Newcomer of the Year Privateers
2005 Diana Jepchirchir
2012 Jessica Stone
2020 Anna Dohmen
2021
Alexandra Weir
2022
Tshwanelo Maruping
Louisiana Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year
2002 Ron Davis
2022
Brock Moreaux
HEAD COACH BROCK MOREAUX
"I am so proud of what this team was able to accomplish throughout the 2022-2023 year. This group worked every day to not only better themselves, but to create a culture to where they could all be successful, and it is awesome for so many of them to be recognized for that."
(on being Coach of the Year)
"I am honored to be named Women's Coach of the Year. This award represents a lot more than me and it was a special moment for me to experience a conference championship with this team - I know it is a day we will never forget. I am so thankful for all of the student-athletes for putting their trust in me, and (Vice President for Athletics and Recreation) Tim (Duncan) for supporting my vision."
(on Kolyn Saltzman)
"Kolyn has been a huge driving force for our men's program for four years now, and four All-Louisiana selections shows his consistency. He has been one of the greatest Privateers to ever do it. I can't thank him enough for the time and passion he has brought into the program."
(on Tshwanelo Maruping)
"'Nelo has been a big piece of our program since she stepped foot on campus in August. Her cross country season was a great eye opener for her of how good she can be, and I am excited to see what she can do again next season."
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