CHARLOTTE, NC – The Francis Marion University men's and women's cross country teams placed 23rd and 24th respectively at the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional Championships, held Saturday morning (Nov. 5) at McAlpine Park in Charlotte.

Junior Ian Wallace and sophomore Whitney Wagner led the two FMU squads which have now concluded their 2011 season.

Wallace finished the 10,000-meter men's race in 35:34 and in 112th position.  Senior Ryan Woloszyn (35:48) and junior Justin Albertson (35:56) finished 117th and 118th, while freshman Justin Carter placed 138th in 37:09, freshman Justin Koehn was 154th in 38:41, and sophomore Michael Bigelow was 158th in 38:54. 

The NCAA regional meet is the only 10,000-meter race on the Patriots' schedule.  Wallace, Woloszyn, Albertson, and Bigelow all bettered their times from last year's Southeast Meet.

Wagner completed the 6,000-meter women's course in a personal-best time of 24:30 to finish 82nd.  Running in her final race for FMU, senior Samantha Smith finished 95th with a personal-best time of 24:53.  She was followed by sophomore Diana Levy in 165th with a time of 28:14, sophomore LaMeisha Jackson in 166th (28:16), freshman Allyson Franklin in 178th with a personal-best time of 29:51, and sophomore London Barnhill in 181st (30:33).

Host Queens University of Charlotte captured the men's team title, while eight Peach Belt Conference squads placed in the Top 25.  Queens also won the women's championship by a healthy margin.  Nine PBC teams finished in the women's Top 25.