WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.- Appalachian State University men's cross country finished 15th out of 29 teams Saturday morning at the 2008 NCAA Southeast Regionals. William and Mary won the team title, while Virginia took home second. Both teams advance to the NCAA National Championships Monday November 24 in Terre Haute, Ind. North Carolina State, Duke and Liberty rounded out the top five. The Mountaineers had the best finish out of all other Southern Conference schools.

Senior Asmeron Desta had a solid performance in his final showing in the Black and Gold as the Old Fort, N.C. had the best finish for Appalachian, placing 20th with a time of 31:14.5, just a half second off his personal best. Ryan O'Keefe and Mike Walker had the next best finishes for the Mountaineers, while Josh Houser was also a strong contributor for ASU.

Desta's finish earned him all-Region honors, making him the first Mountaineer since 2005 to be named to the all-Region squad. This was the first time since 1989 that a man and woman earned all-Region accolades in the same year, as Meghan Gaffney was also named to the all-Region team.

The Mountaineers had another impressive season in 2008, winning their fourth consecutive SoCon crown. The squad graduate s two seniors in Desta and O'Keefe.