LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – Shippensburg University swept the 2010 PSAC Women's Cross Country awards announced Thursday by the league office. Junior Neely Spence won her third straight Athlete of the Year award, freshman Patty Reis was crowned Rookie of the Year, and Steve Spence earned Coach of the Year honors.

Neely Spence, the 2010 USTFCCCA Division II Cross Country Female Athlete of the Year, became the first women's cross country national champion in school history and earned the second All-American award of her career after navigating the snow-packed 6K course at E.P. 'Tom' Sawyer Park in Louisville. Her time of 20:41.2 was 15 seconds faster than Western Washington's Sarah Porter.

Spence has been selected as a PSAC Athlete of the Year in all seven of her collegiate seasons to date (cross country [3], indoor track [2], outdoor track [2]). Her efforts also helped Shippensburg come away with a team trophy, as the Lady Raiders finished fourth at the national championships. Spence has lost just once over her last two seasons of collegiate cross country racing.

She is the three-time defending PSAC and Atlantic Region champion who finished the 2010 season undefeated in six races. Spence finished 70 seconds ahead of the field at the PSAC Championships and 51 seconds ahead of the field at the Atlantic Region Championships.

Reis made her national debut this season and finished 62nd overall with a time of 22:49.3. She was the fourth fastest freshman at the Division II National Championships and shined in her first season of cross country. She had never competed in cross country before coming to Shippensburg this season, only running track late in high school.

In November, Reis was the fastest freshman at the PSAC Championships - earning all-conference honors with a 16th-place time of 23:18. She later finished 17th at the Atlantic Region Championships with a time of 23:17.

Steve Spence guided Shippensburg to its third consecutive PSAC and Atlantic Region championship this season. The Lady Raiders were ranked as high as No. 3 in Division II this season per the USTFCCCA. Spence, who was also the Atlantic Region Women's Coach of the Year, instructed a squad that posted a 79-point victory at the PSAC meet and an 86-point victory at the regional meet while achieving its second-best national finish in school history.