FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The #NSU50 "Top Moments in NSU Athletics History" continues with the 37th moment on the list: Men's Cross Country qualifies for the NCAA Division II National Championship for the first time.
November 7, 2009
The 2009 men's team set a new benchmark that allowed for the program to reach its current height. Prior to 2009, NSU was a growing program that had yet to make an impact in the NCAA South Region. However, the right mix of senior leaders and young talent combined to form a regional contender at NSU. The Sharks finished second at the 2009 Sunshine State Conference Championship and had high hopes heading into the regional championship.
At the 2009 NCAA South Region Championship in Tampa, Fla., the NSU men's team finished at a then-best third place overall, qualifying the team for a trip to Nationals.
"The guys worked hard all season," said then second-year head coach Bryan Hagopian. "Our initial goal was to be the conference champions. When we fell short of that goal, we re-strategized on what we needed to do to get to the next level. Our two freshmen in today's race, Kevin Meagher and Brendan Chwalek, stepped it up today as well as all of our veterans. The excitement is unbelievable."
"As a team, we are excited," said junior captain John Besharat. "We trained really hard this season. We've been trying to make a name for the program and making nationals helps bring that. It's amazing."
In NSU's first 10K race of the 2009 season, Matt Meagher led the Sharks with a sixth-place individual finish. Matt Meagher covered the course in a time of 32:46, which to this day is the fifth fastest 10K time in program history. Brendan Chwalek ran 33:40 and placed 19th. Kevin Meagher clocked 33:55 and was 23rd. Both of those times still rank in the program's 20 top 10K times.
The season served as a benchmark for a young program. Then-freshman Kevin Meagher would develop into the team's lead runner as a senior when the Sharks won their first SSC and South Region Championship in 2012. In 2014, NSU's men's team has already defeated top regional opponents at the Tampa Early Bird Invitational and will look to win another NCAA South Region title.
"It was a huge, historic mark for our program," reflected Hagopian. "When I arrived, Nationals was more of a long-term goal. This milestone allowed us to reset the table and build on a great achievement. This achievement let everyone in our conference and region know that we are for real, we haven't looked back since."
Check back with NSUSharks.com next Tuesday for the next #NSU50 "Top Moments in NSU Athl
etics History."Moment No. 1: NSU Athletics is Born
Moment No. 2: Knights Chosen as School Mascot
Moment No. 3: Hansley Hired as Director of Athletics
Moment No. 4: Nova Adds Four Sports
Moment No. 5: Nova Joins NAIA
Moment No. 6: Nova Adds Three More Teams
Moment No. 7: Nova Helps Form FIAC
Moment No. 8: Nova Wins First Conference Championship
Moment No. 9: Baseball and Volleyball Win First Conference Titles
Moment No. 10: NSU Adds Softball
Moment No. 11: NSU Adds Women's Soccer and Wins FSC Tournament Championship
Moment No. 12: NSU Names Ray Ferrero Jr. as School's Fifth President
Moment No. 13: NSU Adds Women's Basketball and Wins Conference Title in First Season
Moment No. 14: NSU Jumps to NCAA Division II and Sunshine State Conference
Moment No. 15: Kyle Ruwe Becomes NSU's First NCAA All-American
Moment No. 16: NSU adds Rowing, Tennis and Men's Cross Country
Moment No. 17: NSU Breaks Ground on University Center
Moment No. 18: Rembe Becomes NSU's First Female NCAA All-American
Moment No. 19: NSU Men's Golf Wins First SSC Championship
Moment No. 20: NSU Unveils Sharks as New Mascot
Moment No. 21: NSU Enshrines Inaugural Hall of Fame Class
Moment No. 22: Women's Golfer Garcia Austt Becomes NSU's First-Ever NCAA Player and Freshman of Year
Moment No. 23: NSU Tennis Goes Program-Best 22-3
Moment No. 24: NSU Volleyball Hosts the Inaugural Sharks Classic
Moment No. 25: NSU Begins Outdoor Track and Field Programs
Moment No. 26: NSU Volleyball Earns First-Ever NCAA Postseason BidMoment No. 28: NSU Wins Women's Division of 2007-08 SSC Mayors' Cup
Moment No. 29: Abdalla Earns Cross Country Program's First SSC Runner of the Year Award
Moment No. 30: NSU Volleyball Wins South Region and Advances to Elite Eight
Moment No. 31: NSU Launches Men's and Women's Swimming and Diving Programs
Moment No. 32: NSU Rowing V4 Claims the School's First Individual DII National Championship
Moment No. 33: NSU Brings Home First NCAA National Championship in Women's Golf
Moment No. 34: NSU Baseball Has Four Players Chosen in MLB Draft
Moment No. 35: Mominey Steps Into Full-Time Role as NSU Director of AthleticsMoment No. 36: The NSU Women's Golf Team Goes Back-to-BackFor the latest NSU news and results, be sure to visit www.NSUSharks.com. To have results sent directly to your cell phone via text message, sign up for SMS text message delivery by clicking here. For the latest news, be sure to sign up for the Shark Alert E-newsletter by clicking here.
