FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 9, 2007
Contact:  Dwayne Hanberry, SCAC Associate Commissioner

Colorado College's Castaneda; DePauw’s Stoffregen honored as
2007 SCAC Cross Country Coaches-of-the-Year
Moore of Rhodes; Masse of Trinity earned Newcomer honors

SUWANEE, Ga. – In exclusive voting by the head coaches of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference, Colorado College's Ted Castaneda was named SCAC Men's Cross Country Coach-of-the-Year and DePauw University's Kori Stoffregen was selected SCAC Women’s Cross Country Coach-of-the-Year.

Running in the conference championship meet for just the second time since joining the SCAC in 2006, the 31st-ranked Colorado College men - behind a 1-2-3 finish from Alex Nichols, Kiran Moorty and Julian Boggs - totaled 37 points to win the program’s first-ever conference title and snap the DePauw men's seven-year title run at the championships.

In another first for the program, Castaneda becomes the first Colorado College coach to earn a SCAC Coach-of-the-Year award.

DePauw came in second with 63 points, followed by Rhodes College with 78 and Centre College with 89 points. SCAC Men's Team Results

Nichols, who earned SCAC Runner-of-the-Year honors with the individual win, was dominating in his victory, finishing slightly over 15 seconds ahead of Moorty in a time of 25:36.05 on Southwestern University's 8-kilometer course. Nichols' time was the 13th fastest in SCAC championships history. Boggs, the 2006 conference champion, was another six seconds behind at 25:57.10.

The Colorado Tigers also got an all-SCAC performance from Matt Sheldon, who finished in 14th place with a time of 27:13.15. SCAC Men's Individual Results

Chris Moore of Rhodes College earned Newcomer-of-the-Year honors by virtue of being the top finisher among first-year runners. Moore, who also earned All-SCAC honors, crossed the finish line in 12th place with a time of 26:57.15.  

On the women's side, 13th-ranked DePauw University won its fifth straight SCAC cross country championship. The DU women totaled 29 points, easily outdistancing second-place Colorado College, who finished with 49 points. Trinity University was third with 59 points. SCAC Women's Team Results

For Stoffregen, this is the fifth straight year he has been named SCAC Women's Cross Country Coach-of-the-Year and the sixth time overall. He has earned the Men's COTY award seven times. Only Rhodes' Robert Shankman with a combined 15 Cross Country COTY awards has more than Stoffregen's 13.

Lauren Reich covered the 6-kilometer course in 22:39.65 to finish in second place to pace the DePauw women, who also got all-SCAC performances from Alison Case (23:05.30 – fifth place), Taylor Penrod (23:11.0 – sixth place), Laura Anderson (23:11.90 - seventh place), Julie Theibert (23:27.15 - ninth place) and Melissa Buckley (23:38.40 – 10th place). SCAC Women's Individual Results

In the individual race, Emily Loeffler of Trinity earned SCAC Runner-of-the-Year honors with a winning time of 22:33.70 - the fifth fastest at the conference championship meet since the league went to a 6K for the women in 2005. Loeffler is the first Trinity women's runner to ever win the conference championship meet.

Her teammate, Caitlin Masse, finished in third-place with a time of 22:51.45 and earned the SCAC Newcomer-of-the-Year distinction in addition to all-SCAC honors.

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