LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Florida Southern men's cross country team ended its 2014 season with a 29th-place showing at the NCAA Division II National Championships on Saturday.

Head coach Ben Martucci had set a goal of finishing in the Top 25, and although the Moccasins fell short, they did defend their South Region title from two weeks ago by finishing the highest among the three South Region qualifiers.

"I think it speaks volumes," Martucci said. "We accomplished one of the goals we wanted to. In fact, we placed better than what we were ranked (in the pre-National Championship United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association National Coaches' Poll). But overall, I think there is still a sense of non-satisfaction."

The Mocs scored 786 points in their eighth all-time appearance at nationals, 61 points less than fellow Sunshine State Conference representative Saint Leo in 31st place. West Alabama rounded of the field of 32 teams with 947 points.

Three days of rain leading up to Saturday turned "Tom" Sawyer State Park into more of a mud pit than a race course. The precipitation, combined with 20 mile-per-hour winds, made the temperature feel close to freezing for the student-athletes exposed in their running uniforms.

Officials were forced to alter the course to avoid a 350-meter stretch of saturated ground. Therefore, the race originally scheduled to cover 10,000 meters was reduced to 9,650 meters.

"The conditions were rough," Robert Ormsby said. "It was windy, raining, the course was underwater and it was muddy."

As he's done all season long, Ormsby paced the Mocs. He started strong out of the gate and was in 59th place at the first checkpoint placed at 1,800 meters. The sophomore from Fort Myers, Fla., finished 79th out of 245 participants, 119 places better than he did as a freshman. The All-SSC and All-South Region selection was timed at 32:13.60, the fifth-best time at a NCAA National Championship race in program history.

"There's still a lot of room for improvement," said Ormsby, who is already looking forward to competing for All-American status (Top 40 at nationals) in 2015. "I'm not where I want to be yet."

Sophomore Jonathan Moses improved 55 places in the standings from last year. The All-SSC and All-South Region honoree from Lawrenceville, Ga., came in 176th place with a time of 33:26.40 after placing 231st overall last year.

Martucci was glad to see all Ormsby and Moses make such large jumps in the individual standings compared to where they placed in the 2013 National Championships in Spokane, Wash.

"It's progression," said the two-time defending South Region Coach of the Year. "This is what we train for. This is what they should be doing throughout their four years here."

Kyle Butler (Melbourne, Fla.) was the third Moccasin to cross the finish line. The 6-foot-1 junior came in 194th place. Another All-South Region runner, Butler gained ground in the latter portion of the race. He stood in 202nd place at the 5,000-meter marker.

Florida Southern's fourth and fifth runners finished less than two seconds apart. Junior Jose Perez (Haines City, Fla.) came in 220th place with a time of 34:48.90. Behind Perez at 34:50.30 and in 22nd place was All-SSC and All-South Region sophomore Evan Quinones (Saratoga Springs, N.Y.).

Also competing for the Mocs were sophomore Cody Van Natter (Spring Hill, Fla.) and junior Zach Hall (Weeki Wachee, Fla.). Van Natter was 240th and Hall 242nd with times of 36:15.50 and 36:31.20, respectively.

Adams State captured its third consecutive and 11th overall NCAA Division II Men's Cross Country National Championship with 69 points. The Grizzlies had three of the first four runners to cross the finish line, including repeat individual medalist Tabor Stevens (30:02.00). Grand Valley State finished as runners-up for the second straight year.