White named NCAA Southeast Region Athlete of the Year

Congratulations to Catherine White, who has been named the NCAA Southeast Region Athlete of the Year! It's a shame that these sorts of accolades are not accounted for in the final Directors Cup standings, am I right here? Read the full press release after the jump.

Virginia junior Catherine White has been named the NCAA Southeast Region Athlete of the Year, as announced by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) today.

A native of Roanoke, Va., White has led the Cavaliers through every race she’s competed in this season and becomes the first Cavalier to be named the Southeast Region Athlete of the Year.

White became Virginia’s first-ever NCAA Southeast Regional individual champion last weekend, leading all runners across the line at the regional championships with a time of 20:03.90, nearly nine seconds ahead of the second-place finisher. Her finish guided Virginia to a runner-up finish, as the Cavaliers claimed an automatic berth into the NCAA Championships for the second-straight year.

A transfer from Arkansas, White was honored by the Southeastern Conference as the 2009 SEC Outdoor Runner of the Year after winning individual titles in the 5k and 10k for the Razorbacks. She also won the SEC Cross Country Championship her sophomore season.

White will conclude her inaugural season as a Cavalier on Monday at the 2009 NCAA Championships in Terre Haute, Ind. The men’s 10k race is scheduled to begin at approximately 12:08 p.m., followed by the women’s 6k race at approximately 12:58 p.m. Both championship races will be broadcast live on Versus Network and streamed online via NCAA.com.

Courtesy VirginiaSports.com