TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The Kennesaw State men’s cross country program was successful in their first taste of NCAA Division I post-season competition on Saturday morning, finishing eighth in the South Region Championship, held at the University of Alabama.

In a field that consisted of some of the premiere brand names in college athletics, the Owls acquitted themselves quite well on a pleasant, sunny day at the Harry Pritchett Running Course in Tuscaloosa, Ala., with all seven KSU runners finishing in the top 100 in the 173-runner field.

Freshman Nabil Hamid was the leading runner for the Black and Gold, placing 26th with a time of 31:17.57. Even though it was the first 10k race the Owls ran, Hamid felt that his time reflected him pushing himself to keep up with the great competition that was on hand.

“I was pushed by all of the top runners in the field. Every time I saw someone from a school in Georgia, I wanted to make sure I passed them,” said Hamid, who was named the Atlantic Sun Conference’s Runner of the Week on October 28. “Running against competition like this definitely helps. I’m able to find out how much I can really get out of a race when I have to keep up with some of the best.”

Host Alabama and Florida State finished in the top-two team spots, earning themselves bids to the NCAA National Championship at Indiana State University in Terre Haute, Ind. on November 23. Though Kennesaw State fell short of advancing to nationals, Owls head coach Stan Sims was very pleased with the effort and performance of his squad.

“It would’ve been great to go to nationals, but really, we accomplished some great things today,” said Sims, whose squad was not eligible to compete in the South Regional until this year due to the NCAA’s mandatory four-year reclassification period for all programs who move up to the Division I level. “I’m thrilled to finish in the top-ten, and when you look at some of the teams we beat, there’s nothing but positives to take out of today.”

Sims was also quick to thank his two seniors who competed in their last races today, Scott Burley and Michael Johnson, who finished 81st and 83rd, respectively.

“Michael really gave it his all today, and had a great race. Scott did an excellent job, as well, and since this was his last event at the collegiate level, I know he wanted to go out on a good note, and he certainly did,” said Sims, referring to the fact that Burley has already exhausted his eligibility in indoor and outdoor track, effectively ending his collegiate career on Saturday.

Among teams that the Owls were able to top on Saturday, a few stick out. Of the four Georgia schools that competed, KSU finished second among them, falling short to Georgia, who finished fourth, but beating Georgia Tech and Georgia State, who placed 11th and 14th, respectively. In addition, they all bested A-Sun rivals Belmont (10th), East Tennessee State (13th), Lipscomb (16th), and North Florida (21st). Besting Belmont and Georgia Tech was especially satisfying for the Owls, as both squads had topped them on September 18 at the Crimson Classic, which was held at the same course.

The men wrapped up the cross country season on Saturday, finishing with an overall record of 86-14. The 86 wins is the most for Kennesaw State as a Division I program, and the .860 winning percentage is the highest they have seen since 1998 (.896).

NCAA SOUTH REGION CHAMPIONSHIP

1. ALABAMA 45pts

2. FLORIDA STATE 80pts

3. AUBURN 110 pts

4. GEORGIA 125 pts

5. FLORIDA 143 pts

6. TENNESSEE 178 pts

7. SOUTH ALABAMA 180 pts

8. KENNESAW STATE 283 pts

9. MISSISSIPPI STATE 298 pts

10. BELMONT 303 pts

11. GEORGIA TECH 338 pts

12. CHATTANOOGA 346 pts

13. EAST TENNESSEE STATE 399 pts

14. GEORGIA STATE 418 pts

15. TROY 423 pts

16. LIPSCOMB 433 pts

17. MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE 500 pts

18. OLE MISS 504 pts

T 19. SOUTH FLORIDA 509 pts

T 19. JACKSONVILLE STATE 509 pts

21. NORTH FLORIDA 517 pts

22. VANDERBILT 529 pts

23. TENNESSEE TECH 591 pts

24. AUSTIN PEAY 690 pts

25. SAMFORD 694 pts

26. MIAMI (FL) 716 pts

INDIVIDUAL RESULTS

25. Nabil Hamid 31:17.57

45. Jaakko Nieminen 32:03.26

56. Piotr Witczak 32:29.71

81. Scott Burley 33:05.05

83. Michael Johnson 33:07.04

90. Ryan Burruss 33:17.15

93. Nathan Haskins 33:23.86