NEW ORLEANS – Junior women's track athlete Neely Spence was named the 2011 USTFCCCA Atlantic Region Women's Track Athlete of the Year and Dave Osanitsch was named the 2011 USTFCCCA Atlantic Region Women's Head Coach of the Year after voting results were announced Friday morning.

Spence qualified as the No. 1 seed in the 5K after breaking the all-time Division II record last month with a time of 15:33.83 at the prestigious Mt. Sac Relays. Spence is the two-time defending champion in the 5K – she posted a time of 16:35.36 two years ago in San Angelo and a time of 16:14.23 last year at Johnson C. Smith.

In three years of indoor and outdoor competition, Spence has won 17 PSAC championships out of her 19 races. She has only lost the 5K twice during her collegiate career: once at this year's indoor nationals to No. 2 seed Monica Kinney (Grand Valley State) and last outdoor season at the Penn Relays. She also improved her conference 3K record (9:10.82) with a victory and a “gold watch” at this year's Penn Relays.

Osanitsch guided the women's program to its second consecutive conference championship and second consecutive PSAC “Triple Crown.” SU scored in 18 of 22 events, had 34 placewinning performances (by 26 different athletes) and has compiled 14 NCAA automatic or provisional qualifying performances this season.

It is the eighth time in Osanitsch's six-year career with the Raiders that he has received a USTFCCCA Regional Coach of the Year award. He received the Men's and Women's Regional Coach of the Year awards during the indoor season.

Shippensburg finished the regular season ranked second in the Atlantic region and 14th in the national rankings and will be represented by six entries in the NCAA Championship meet.