SFA Takes Southland Honors
11/4/2010 12:00:00 AM | Cross Country
Nov. 4, 2010
Cake and Ice Cream Social Photo Gallery
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - Stephen F. Austin picked up two additional awards following its women's team title at the Southland Conference Championships last week. Thursday, Lou Snelling was named the Southland Coach of the Year, and sophomore transfer Lauren Smith was dubbed Southland Newcomer of the Year.
Snelling picked up the third women's coach of the year award in his tenure at SFA after winning his second team championship. The Ladyjacks first took home the league hardware in 2003, Snelling's first year with the program. He was named the coach of the year that season. Snelling's peers voted him coach of the year in 2009, despite the Ladyjacks' second-place finish, and his troops left no room for doubt in 2010, cruising to a team title by a 44-point margin at last week's meet in Beaumont.
SFA put four of its top five runners inside the top 10 to set a school record with 34 points and become the first program in the Southland Conference to win six championships in women's cross country. The Ladyjacks brought home four All-Southland honors with Lauren Smith, Stephanie Ganter, Amy Shackelford and Megan Jenkins all finishing in the top 10.
Smith, a first-year sophomore, completed the 6,000-meter course in 21:38, finishing second in her first Southland meet since transferring to SFA from Arizona.
Snelling and the Ladyjacks celebrated their success Thursday with a cake and ice cream social at the Homer Bryce Stadium field house, a tradition for SFA teams that win conference titles. The entire track and field team turned out, as did most of the department's coaching and support staffs.
SFA will continue the season on Nov. 13 when the Lumberjacks and Ladyjacks compete in the NCAA Regional Championships at Waco, Texas.
-- SFA --
