Scott and Harter Earn USTFCCCA South Central Region Honors

NEW ORLEANS – On Tuesday, the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association named their Regional Athletes and Coaches of the Year and Arkansas women’s cross country head coach Lance Harter, along with redshirt junior Dominique Scott, claimed both honors for the South Central Region.

Tuesday’s awards sweep marks the second time in program history that the Razorbacks have claimed the South Central’s top honors. The only time it previously happened was in 2001 when Harter was named the USTFCCCA South Central Coach of the Year and Andriena Byrd took the Region’s Athlete of the Year honor.

For Scott, it is her first USTFCCCA South Central Athlete of the Year honor, as she becomes just the second Razorback to garner the award, joining Byrd who was named the 2001 South Central Athlete of the Year.

It’s been a historic season for Scott, as she etched her name in the Arkansas Razorback cross country record book twice this season by picking up a school record five individual titles and setting the school’s 5-kilometer course record. The South African native set the school’s 5k record back on Oct. 4 at the Chile Pepper Festival, as she won the race in a remarkable 16:01.00. Scott’s time also set the 5K course record at Agri Park and is still the fastest 5-kilometer in NCAA Division I this season.

The list of tributes keeps growing for Scott this season, as she has earned NCAA All-Region honors, been named the SEC Runner of the Year and picked up five individual titles, which includes the NCAA South Central Region Championship and the SEC Cross Country Championships. She has been named the SEC Runner of the Week four times and back on Sept. 22 she was selected as the USTFCCCA National Runner of the Week. She began the year by setting the course record in three straight races and has set personal-bests in both the 5-kilometer (16:01.00) and 6-kilometer (19:22.74).

For Coach Harter, it is the fourth-straight USTFCCCA South Central Coach of the Year honor and the 10th of his illustrious career.

It’s been another storybook season for Coach Harter’s team, as he led the Razorback women’s cross country team to its second-straight SEC Cross Country Championship and the program’s 15th overall. His squad also collected the school’s 19th NCAA Regional Championship this season and captured six team titles. He has also helped improve the overall talent of his runners this season, as all but one harrier that has competed for Arkansas has set new personal-best times in both the 5-kilometer and 6-kilometer.

The Arkansas women’s cross country team concludes its 2014 campaign on the sport’s biggest stage, as they’ll travel to Terre Haute, Ind., to participate in the 2014 NCAA Cross Country Championship. Race time from Wabash Valley Family Sports Center set for 11 a.m. Check back with ArkansasRazorbacks.com later this week for a full preview on the Championship Race.

For more information on the Arkansas women’s cross country team, follow @RazorbackTF on Twitter.