NATCHITOCHES, La. – Southeastern Louisiana junior Clarissa Smith capped off her successful cross country season with a selection to the 2016 All-Louisiana Cross Country Collegiate first team by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association.

    Smith became the first Lady Lion selected to the All-Louisiana Cross Country team since Celia Zaeringer was named the Female Freshman of the Year in 2014.

    The Holden, Louisiana native finished in the top 25 in all six of her meets with one victory, a runner-up, a third and an eighth. She was named honorable mention Southland Conference cross country athlete of the week three times.

    Smith beat her personal best in a 6K by 11 seconds in finishing 23^rd at the Southland Conference Championships. She was second overall at the Mississippi College Choctaw Open and ran the fastest 3K at the season-opening New Orleans Invitational.

    "Clarissa had a very solid cross country season," Southeastern head coach Sean Brady said. "To be selected All-Louisiana validates her re-dedication and hard work she put in during the past summer and fall semester. If this successful cross country season is a prelude of what is to come, I expect her to have a record-breaking indoor and outdoor season."

    Tulane sophomore Emmanuel Rotich and McNeese junior Katja Woelfl were named the runners of the year for the men's and women's All-Louisiana Cross Country Collegiate teams, respectively. Rotich headed a men's award group that included Freshman of the Year Stanley Limoh of Louisiana-Lafayette and a tie for Coach of the Year between Louisiana-Lafayette's Lon Badeaux and Tulane's Eric Peterson.

    Other women's award winners included Freshman of the Year Ruby Stauber (LSU), Newcomer of the Year Maliya Vaughn (Xavier) and Coach of the Year Joseph Moses (Xavier).

    The LSWA All-Louisiana cross country teams were voted on by the state's sports information directors. SID's were not allowed to vote for their own nominees.
 
2016 LSWA All-Louisiana Men's Cross Country Collegiate Team
First Team
Name – School – Pos. – Cl. – Hometown
Emmanuel Rotich – Tulane – So. – Sotik, Kenya
Stanley Limoh – Louisiana-Lafayette – Fr. – Kapsabet, Kenya
Dajour Braxton – LSU – So. – Las Vegas, Nev.
Enrique Soto – McNeese – Sr. – Dubberly, La.
Beau Robinson – Louisiana-Lafayette – Jr. – Luling, La.
Nathan Jones – McNeese – Jr. – Rhyl, Wales
Jacob Daigle – McNeese – Fr. – Napoleonville, La.
 
Honorable Mention: Matt Rice, Louisiana-Lafayette; Josh Wilkins, Northwestern State; Clayton O'Callaghan, New Orleans; Devyn Keith, Tulane; Anthony Rizzi, Loyola; Christopher August, Xavier; Moses Aloiloi, Tulane; Joshua Cheruyot, Tulane; Luke Betts, McNeese.
 
Runner of the Year: Emmanuel Rotich, Tulane
Freshman of the Year: Stanley Limoh, Louisiana-Lafayette 
Coach of the Year (tie): Eric Peterson, Tulane; Lon Badeaux, Louisiana-Lafayette
 
 
2016 LSWA All-Louisiana Women's Cross Country Collegiate Team
First Team
Name – School – Pos. – Cl. – Hometown
Katja Woelfl – McNeese – Jr. – Ellhofen, Germany
Emma Newton – Tulane – Jr. – Hollis, N.H.
Ruby Stauber – LSU – Fr. – Plymouth, Minn.
Clarissa Smith – Southeastern – Jr. – Holden, La.
Courtney Musgrove – Louisiana-Lafayette – Sr. – Mandeville, La.
Allison Smegal – McNeese – Jr. – Oshawa, Canada
McKenzie Mellius – Tulane – R-Fr. – Mountain Lakes, N.J.
 
Honorable Mention: Taylor Price, Xavier; Erin Wrozek, Northwestern State; Lauren Bartles, Tulane; Kaitlin Fleming, ULM; Maliya Vaughn, Xavier; Inogen Hull, McNeese; Kacie Kaufman, Louisiana Tech.
 
Runner of the Year: Katja Woelfl, McNeese
Freshman of the Year: Ruby Stauber, LSU
Newcomer of the Year: Maliya Vaughn, Xavier
Coach of the Year: Joseph Moses, Xavier