CHARLOTTE, N.C.- Queens University of Charlotte's men's cross country team scored a nearly-perfect record 19 points to take the 2008 NCAA Division II Southeast Regional Championship title Saturday in Wingate, N.C. The NO. 7 nationally ranked Royals defended their 2007 title and earned a trip to the NCAA National Championships to be held in Slippery Rock, Pa., on Saturday, November 22.
 
Queens took five of the top seven spots led by junior Oscar Ogwaro (Los Angeles, Calif., Woodrow Wilson)'s individual title. Ogwaro opened up an early lead along with teammate Michael Crouch (Yucca Valley, Calif., Yucca Valley) with the duo finishing in times of 30:54 and 31:07, respectively. The Royals nearly shut out the 20 team-deep competition with sophomore Crouch in the runner-up spot, junior Futsum Mebrathu (Phoenix, Ariz., North) in third (32:05), junior Matthew Rowell (Show Low, Ariz. , Blue Ridge )in sixth (32:41) and senior Ryan Connelly (Hillsborough, N.C., Orange)in seventh (32:55). All five Royals earned NCAA DII All-Region honors.
 
“We had good efforts today and, for a team this young, we gained valuable experience over the 10,000-meter distance on a physically tough course,” said coach Scott Simmons. 

The championship race was the first 10k for the scoring five, with the exception of Connelly,  who earned All-American honors in 2007.
 
The Royals' first trip to the NCAA championship came in 2007 where Queens raced beyond expectations into a 15th-place finish after surprising for wins at both the Conference Carolinas and the NCAA Southeast Region Championships. The highest finish for a Southeast Region team at the national championship is 13th.