Cross Country

Rattlers Punch Ticket to Regionals Once Again

Jessica Waninger-Saroni finished ninth at Saturday's Heartland championship. (Photo courtesy Newman University)

WICHITA, Kan. — Jessica Waninger-Saroni helped the St. Mary’s women’s cross country team punch its ticket to regionals with a ninth-place finish at Saturday’s Heartland Conference championship.

Waninger-Saroni (Sr., Santa Claus, Ind.) crossed in 23 minutes, 40 seconds to help the Rattlers finish in a tie for fourth place, good enough to qualify for the NCAA Division II South Central Regional held Sat., Nov. 3 in Denver. She also was named All-Heartland Conference for her efforts.

The Rattlers tied with Arkansas-Fort Smith with 115 points, while Dallas Baptist, fueled by individual champion Kelsey Bruce, took the title with 15 points.

Angelique De Oliveira (Sr., Wattrelos, France) and DeAnna Patterson (Sr., Converse, Texas) finished 2-3 for the Rattlers, taking 15th and 23rd place individually, respectively, with times of 24:32 and 25:09.

Alicia Sanchez (So., Phoenix) finished 33rd with a time of 26:45, while Allison Manning (So., Mansfield, Texas) crossed in 26:48 to claim 35th place.

The Rattlers’ return to regionals marks the second straight year they’ve advanced to the regional event and the eighth overall in the program’s history. St. Mary’s finished 19th at last year’s regional race.

St. Mary’s University, as a Catholic Marianist University, fosters the formation of people in faith and educates leaders for the common good through community service, integrated liberal arts and professional education, and academic excellence. The University has six athletic national titles: men’s basketball (1989–NAIA), baseball (2001–NCAA Div. II), softball (1986–NAIA and 2002–NCAA Div. II) and an individual national champion in men’s golf (2006–NCAA Div. II) and a national academic championship in men’s golf (2009–NCAA Div. II). St. Mary’s also had more than 40 percent of its athletes named to conference, regional and/or national honor rolls this past year. St. Mary’s student–athletes graduation rate is 65 percent, higher than the NCAA Division II average of 55 percent. To learn more about St. Mary's, visit www.stmarytx.edu/athletics.

    

Coaching Staff

Head Coach Haley Long

Taking on a dual role in her first year on the St. Mary's coaching staff, Haley Long will serve as the Rattlers' head cross country coach and assistant softball coach, leading with experience and high expectations for success.

Long comes into her new coaching roles as a former athlete herself, having enjoyed an extensive softball career dating back to her star-studded career at Brenham High School in her hometown of Brenham, Texas, where she earned First-Team All-State, Academic All-State and helped her team to a state title. The former right fielder then took her play to the collegiate level, playing her freshman year at Blinn College before finishing her career at the University of Nebraska. After slugging away for a .355 batting average, 43 runs scored, five doubles, 33 RBIs, 18 stolen bases and a team-high 10 triples in her sole season at Bilnn, Long became a three-year starter in right field for the University of Nebraska. There, her success led to a Second Team All-Big 12 selection as a sophomore. As a junior competing in the Big 12 championship, Long earned an All-Tournament Team selection. Her three years at the University of Nebraska also gave Long a three-time stint on the Big 12 Commissioners' Honor Roll.

Long completed her bachelor's degree in sociology from the University of Nebraska in 2009 and completed her master's degree in kinesiology at the University of Texas-Permian Basin in 2012.

While completing her master's degree, Long took her first step in coaching as one of Blinn College's assistant softball coaches and helped the Buccaneers to a fourth-place national championship finish in 2012. During her two years on the coaching staff, Blinn received the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Midwest Coaching Staff of the Year both years.

With a Division I, Big 12 athletic transcript and an accredited coaching background, Long looks forward to being an asset to St. Mary's softball team and taking the cross country team to new heights.

"I'm excited to see what their expectations are of themselves," says Long of her Rattler runners, "and see how they respond to my expectations for them. My expectations of them are to work hard every day and build a work ethic of a winning mentality. I want them to put themselves on the map and know that they do matter. This is going to become a growing program, and we re going to be expected to win."

Long takes on her head cross country and assistant softball coach position with confidence, priming for two teams of Rattler talent to work with.

"I'm just excited to get started," she said.

2012 St. Mary's Cross Country Roster