The Empire 8 announced its 2011 Men’s Cross Country All-Conference team. Freshman Cohen Miles-Rath of first-time participant St. John Fisher College received Rookie of the Meet and Runner of the Meet recognition after placing first in the Empire 8 Men’s Cross Country Championships at Saratoga Springs. He completed the eight-kilometer course in 25:55.
The top seven finishers were named to the all-conference first team with the next seven finishers earning second-team honors.
Three runners from conference champion Ithaca College earned a spot on the all-conference first team. Junior Nathan Bickell finished second to garner first-team honors for the second consecutive year. Senior Daniel Craighead placed fourth to receive his third all-conference honor and second time on the first team. Junior David Geary placed seventh to round out the Bombers on the first team.
Freshman Cody Racha of Utica College finished third overall to receive first-team recognition.
Freshman Thomas Cunningham and sophomore Michael Cahill of Stevens Institute of Technology finished fifth and sixth, respectively, to earn first-team all-conference recognition.
Three of the first-team runners are freshman. Of the 14 runners who earned first- or second-team accolades, eight are either freshman or sophomores.
One member of each team was named that institution’s representative on the 2011 Men’s Cross Country Sportsman of the Year Team. Empire 8 emphasizes that "Competing with Honor and Integrity" is an essential component of a student-athlete’s experience in conjunction with an institution’s educational mission. These honorees have distinguished themselves and consistently exhibit the critical traits as outstanding sportsmen.
Empire 8 2011 Men’s Cross Country All-Conference Awards
Runner of the Meet: Cohen Miles-Rath, St. John Fisher College
Runner of the Meet: Cohen Miles-Rath, St. John Fisher College
2011 Empire 8 Men's Cross Country All-Conference Release