(Story courtesy of the Trinity University website)

SAN ANTONIO, Texas - Trinity Tigers cross country Head Coach Derick Lawrence and senior Maddie Murphy have received high honors from the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.

Coach Lawrence was elected the USTFCCCA South/Southeast Region Women’s Coach of the Year for the second straight time. Murphy was named the South/Southeast Region Women’s Athlete of the Year.

In his second season at the Tigers helm, Coach Lawrence guided the 11th-ranked Trinity women’s squad to its second consecutive regional title in a row. The Tigers brought home their fourth overall regional championship, at the meet held last Saturday at Newport News, Virginia.

As a result, the Tigers will compete Saturday in the NCAA Division III Championships at Hanover, Ind. Earlier this month, the Tiger men and women captured the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Championships – with a perfect score of 15 - held at Shreveport, Louisiana.

Coach Lawrence was also named the SCAC Men’s and Women’s Coach of the Year for the second straight season.

Murphy won the 6k regional women’s race with a time of 21:33.89. She paced a list of seven Tiger runners who earned All-Region honors. The SCAC Championship, and conference Runner of the Year accolades also went to Murphy, who clocked in at 22:02.4. Murphy also won the title in 2011, and was runner-up in 2012.

The Tigers finished 12th at the 2012 NCAA Championships, held at Terre Haute, Ind. It marked the second-best finish in school history, only surpassed by the 2008 which placed sixth. Trinity finished with a team score of 333 in the race, just five points away from Hope College in 10th, and four from Middlebury College in 11th place.

Vanessa Moreno placed No. 43 at the NCAA event, while Murphy came in at 51st place.