Indianapolis, Ind. - Oakland University???s men???s cross country team scored an upset today, winning its first ever Mid-Continent championship, edging out favorite Southern Utah by eight points for the title. The women???s team also had a strong showing, finishing in a tie for fourth. Both teams were paced by second place finishes, by sophomores Paul Kulisek (Wonder Lake, Ill.) and Melissa Nasers (Battle Creek, Mich.). The win by the men broke a five-year lock on the title by Southern Utah. OU head coach Paul Rice was named the men???s coach of the year, while freshman Sarah Drouillard (Lake Orion, Mich.) was named the Mid-Con Newcomer of the Year. It took a strong effort to dethrone Southern Utah and the Golden Grizzlies got it on the men???s side, placing all of its scoring runners (five) in the top 10. Kulisek finished just five seconds behind the men???s individual winner, Bill Hibdon of UMKC, in a time of 25:17. Adam Frezza (Oxford, Mich.) was next for OU, covering the 8K course in 25:31 to finish fifth. The Golden Grizzlies then took the No. 8, 9, and 10th places to clinch the win. John Cook (St. Clair, Mich.) was eighth in 25:52, followed by Ryan Bissell (Vassar, Mich.) with an effort of 25:57. Close on his heels was Jason Bruscha (Sterling Heights, Mich.) who crossed the line just one second behind. On the women???s side the Golden Grizzlies placed two in the top 10. Nasers finished the 6K course in 22:22, with Sarah Kane (Sterling Heights, Mich.) taking ninth place in 23:05. Drouillard was next for the Golden Grizzlies and was the top freshman finisher in the race, taking home 16th in 23:41. Andrea Sutter (Sterling Heights, Mich.) and Kin Schultz (Vermilion, Ohio) rounded out the scoring places for OU, finishing 34th (24:36) and 36th (24:47) respectively. Rice???s coach of the year award was his second straight in the conference, while Drouillard becomes the second OU women???s runner to be named the Newcomer of the Year, joining Kristie Kieffer (Sterling Heights, Mich.) who won the award in 1999. Getting first team All-Mid-Con accolades for the men were Kulisek and Frezza, while Cook, Bissell, Bruscha and Brandon Fisk (Shelby Township, Mich.) were named to the second team. Earning first team All-Mid-Con honors for the women were Nasers with Kane getting the nod on the second team.