MOCS FALL SHORT, BUT MACKLEY QUALIFIES FOR D-II CHAMPIONSHIP TRIP

Nov. 8, 2008 - For the first time in five years, the Moccasins' men's cross country team will not be competing as a team at the NCAA Division II Championship meet, but will be represented.  Looking to earn a fifth straight trip to the national meet, the Moccasins fell one place short at Saturday's South Regional in Searcy, Ark.  Only the top two teams qualified and FSC placed third.  Harding won the meet with a perfect score of 15, followed by Ala.-Huntsville in second place with 92 points.  The Moccasins were third in the 17-team field with 106 points.

Senior Scott Mackley, who won the Sunshine State Conference championship, did qualify as an individual with a sixth-place finish behind the five runners from Harding.  The Division II Championship meet is Nov. 22 in Slippery Rock, Pa.  Mackley covered the 10K course in 32:03, the fourth best 10K time in school history.  In addition to Mackley, the Moccasins had two other runners finish in the top 15 to earn all-region honors.  Eric Larson was 11th in 32:31 and Ben Martucci was 14th in 32:43.

Rounding out the Moccasin contingent were Drew Martucci in 28th place (34:03, Jason Patchett-Willis in 47th (34:57), Charlie Fanning in 55th (35:10) and J.J. Blackburn in 62nd (35:35).

MOCS SWEEP SSC AWARDS

Nov. 5, 2008 - All three of the individual Sunshine State Conference men's cross country awards belong to the Moccasins.  In voting by the league's men's cross country coaches and sports information directors, Scott Mackley, the men's SSC individual champion, was voted Men's Runner of the Year.  Eric Larson, who had four top five finishes, including a fourth-place finish at the SSC meet, was voted SSC Men's Freshman of the Year.  Jamie Moreno, who extended FSC's championship streak to 12 in his rookie season, was voted SSC Men's Coach of the Year.  In addition to FSC claiming the three individual awards, Ben Martucci joined Mackley and Larson on the All-SSC Team

STREAK CONTINUES AS MOCS WIN 12TH STRAIGHT SSC TITLE

Oct. 25, 2008 - One of the most impressive streaks in Sunshine State Conference history continued Saturday, as the Moccasins won their 12th consecutive SSC men's cross country championship.  Led by individual champion Scott Mackley, the Moccasins placed four runners in the top six and finished with a team score of 29, well ahead of runner-up Tampa, which had 51 points.  Nova Southeastern was third with 60 points, Florida Tech fourth with 106, Saint Leo fifth with 145 and Rollins sixth with 151.

Mackley, a senior, covered the 8K course at Brandon Trails in 25:01, the second-best 8K time in FSC history.  It was his first individual meet victory and his fourth straight finish in the top six at the SSC Championship.  He had placed sixth, fourth and third in each of the last three years at the SSC meet.

After Nova Southeastern's Jefferey Palmer and Tampa's Tony Nicolosi crossed the finish line in second and third, respectively, the Moccasins followed with Eric Larson in fourth (25:13), Ben Martucci in fifth (25:23) and Drew Martucci (25:27) in sixth.  All three of their times rank in the school's top ten for best 8K times.  First-year FSC coach Jamie Moreno had indicated that one of the keys to a Moccasin victory would be putting their number five runner in the top 15 and Jason Patchett-Gillis did that, finishing 13th in 26:16.  Charlie Fanning and J.J. Blackburn rounded out the Moccasin contingent, placing 20th and 26th, respectively.  Fanning's time was 27:07 and Blackburn's time was 28:03.

The Moccasins now will prepare to defend the South Regional title they won last year.  The South Regional is Nov. 8 at Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas.

* Florida Southern offers the opportunity for runners to compete intercollegiately in distance events in track. However, FSC does not compete in field events.