Monroe, La.- University of South Alabama men's cross country runner Zac Edwards won the Sun Belt Conference cross country championship Saturday afternoon in Monroe, La. Edwards led the Jaguars to a second-place finish on a wet and soggy course.

Edwards finished the 8k course with a time of 26:10.91, earning his first cross country title, marking him as the seventh consecutive Jaguar to win the SBC Championship. Two-time defending champion, Micah Tirop finished fourth with a time of 27:20.76.

"We are very proud of Zac winning the conference championship today and keeping the USA streak alive," said head coach Paul Brueske.

"It was a good run for Zac today. Everyone is proud of him for winning his first cross country title," said distance coach Tim Goldsack.

Saber Salah finished tenth with a time of 27:55.21, to earn all-conference honors. SBC Freshman of the Year, Alex Shields placed 13^th  with a time of 28:10.64. Matt Miller rounded out the top-five for the Jaguars, placing 15^th with a time of 28:21.70.

"Matt Miller has been out for two weeks with an injury, and had one of his best performances today," Goldsack said. "Alex Shields came out of nowhere and won freshman of the year, and that's a huge accomplishment for him."

After being projected to win the SBC Championship, the men's team was unable to defeat Middle Tennessee ,but beat UALR with a total of 43 points.

On the women's side, SBC Freshman of the Year Tori Lawson, placed fifth (20:13.86), marking her fourth consecutive top-five placement of the season. Magrina Chepkoech finished ninth with a time of 20:50.38, earning all-conference honors for the second consecutive year.

"Tori had another great run. The conditions were terrible and she still placed high and won Freshman of the Year," Goldsack said. "Maggie ran like a true fighter. There were parts of the course where she was knee deep in water, and she still earned all-conference."

Freshman Jessie Mackie finished 22^nd with a time of 21:56.85. Rounding out the top-five runners for South Alabama was Courtney Kieffer (23:41.06) and Kendra Lowe (24:09.72).

"Jessie Mackie ran hard today. She is a redshirt freshman that put in hard work all season, and it showed today," said Goldsack.

The Jaguar women finished seventh and placed ahead of Troy, but fell behind Arkansas Sate with 152 points.

"We wanted to win, but we have come a long way," Brueske said. "We are still a young team and we will just keep getting better. Coach Goldsack and the team have worked hard this year, and I'm very proud of their efforts."

The men's cross country team joined by Lawson, Mackie, and Chepkoech, will take a week off before traveling to Tuscaloosa, Ala., for the NCAA South Regional Championships, hosted by Alabama.

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).

-USA-