HPU’s Ocasio Leads Women’s Cross Country At NCAA Regional

• Junior Natalia Ocasio finished 64th out of 235 runners in a personal-best NCAA Regional time of 22:30.20
• Ocasio improved 74 places from her 2014 finish at the regional
• HPU distance runners now shifts focus to indoor track & field season, which begins Dec. 5 in Winston-Salem

EARLYSVILLE, Va. – Junior Natalia Ocasio shattered her previous regional best finish to lead the High Point University women’s cross country team at the NCAA Southeast Regional Friday at Panorama Farms.

Ocasio placed 64th out of 235 runners in a personal-best NCAA regional time of 22:30.20. After finishing 184th in 2013 and 140th in 2014, Ocasio has improved her NCAA standing by 120 places in just two seasons.

“I’m very proud of what Natalia has accomplished this season,” head coach Jenna Wrieden said. “She passed 20 girls at the end of the race in an impressive last 1k. She’s motivated, she’s positive and she’s gritty. She has the characteristics that will get her very far in this sport and be a great team leader for us now and in the future. There are big things ahead for her this spring.”

Junior Cozette Collin finished 115th in a time of 23:09.09 for the Purple & White.

HPU has completed its 2015 cross country slate and now moves into the 2015-16 indoor track & field season. That campaign gets underway Dec. 5 at the JDL College Kickoff Classic in Winston-Salem, N.C.