LAKELAND, Fla. – Three members of the Florida Southern College men's and women's track teams were named U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-South Region by the organization Wednesday. Seniors Mason Jones and Mitchell Kozik earned honors on the men's side while sophomore Ellie Fluman became just the third women's track athlete in Florida Southern history to earn All-Region honors.
 
Jones was All-Region in a pair of events after a successful 2022 campaign. The Titusville, Fla., native was awarded for his performances in both the 5000m and 10000m. Jones' school record time in the 10000m this season was good enough to earn him a spot at the 2022 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Allendale, Mich. where he took 16^th overall. Jones also broke the school record in the 5000m in 2022 to add to his list of accomplishments. His school record breaking performance in the 5K came at the Tampa Distance Classic where he clocked in at 14:19.08, surpassing his previous school record by over seven seconds. His 10K school record came at the Flames Invitational in Cleveland, Tenn. where he stopped the clock at 29:31.16, lowering his previous school record by over 20 seconds.
 
The pair of All-Region awards for Jones account for his third and fourth All-Region track honors of his career as he was awarded for his performances in the same two events following the 2018 season.
 
Kozik picks up his first career All-South Region track honors following a record-breaking season in the 3000m steeplechase. He becomes the first Florida Southern student-athlete to earn All-Region honors in the steeplechase. The Wadsworth, Ohio native, spent most of the 2022 season lowering the school record in the steeplechase as his performances showed continued improvement throughout the season. He first broke his own school record at the Knights Invitational hosted by UCF in late March as he shaved just under a second off his previous record-breaking performance from 2021. Just over a month later, he took nearly four seconds off his previous best time at the UNF Invitational. His final attempt in the event would be the best of his career as he set the final mark of 9:06.49, over 12 seconds faster than his 2021 time, at the Lee Last Chance Meet. The time just missed out on a trip to the NCAA Championships but was strong enough to earn the senior his first All-Region honors of his career.
 
Fluman became just the third women's track athlete in program history to earn All-Region honors after a personal best performance in the 10000m in 2022. She joins former Moccasins Hannah Fleming and Ysabella Guerra who became first two women's All-Region honorees in FSC history following the 2019 season. Fluman competed in the 10K just once in 2022 but her time of 36:19.97 at the Flames Invitational was strong enough to earn her a spot on the All-Region team. Her time ranks as the second-fastest in program history behind Guerra's school record performance from last season. In addition to her All-Region honor, Fluman was also named CoSIDA Academic All-District earlier this season for her performance both on the track, on the cross country course and in the classroom. She also posted the fifth fastest 5000m time this season and broke the school record in the 3000m.
 
The top-five individuals in each event from each region earned All-Region honors for USTFCCCA, in addition to each of the members of a top-three ranked relay teams.