ROCHESTER, NY – Ithaca College added to its Empire 8 men’s cross country championship with a trio of top honors. The Bombers’ Nathan Bickell was named the Runner of the Year while Sawyer Hitchcock garnered Rookie of the Year. Head Coach Jim Nichols picked up his fifth coach of the year award.
Bickell crossed the finish line first in 26:11.44 at the Empire 8 championship meet to earn Runner of the Meet honors and first team all conference. He ran to a 15th-place finish at the NCAA Regionals with a then career best of 25:57.40. And capped his career with an individual bid to the National meet where he knocked another five seconds off his best time to finish 127th out of 280 runners.
Hitchcock was the top rookie at the conference championship with a sixth-place finish (26:49.46) and garnered all-region honors with a 25
th place finish at the Atlantic Region meet, earning an at-large individual bid to the NCAA’s. Hitchcock clocked his career-best eight-kilometer time of 26:01.50 at the national meet where he placed 149th.
Nichols earned the top-coaching award for the third consecutive season and the fifth time since 2003. Nichols, who recently completed his 21st season at the helm of the program, led the Bombers to their third straight conference title in October. Ithaca has won five Empire 8 titles – 2003, 2008, 2010, 2011 and 2012. Ithaca had three first-team All-Empire 8 honorees and another four who earned second-team recognition this season.
In addition to the top year-end awards, one member of each team was named that institution’s representative on the 2012 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 sportswomen.
The first and second team all-conference teams were announced following the conclusion of the championship.
Empire 8 2012 Men’s Cross Country Awards
Player of the Year: Nathan Bickell, Ithaca College
Rookie of the Year: Sawyer Hitchcock, Ithaca College
Coach of the Year: Jim Nichols, Ithaca College
SPORTSMAN OF THE YEAR
|
Jeremy Weaver |
Sr |
Alfred |
|
John Stulligross |
Sr |
Hartwick |
|
Anthony Cappello |
Sr |
Houghton |
|
Tyler Murray |
Gr |
Ithaca |
|
Josh Strough |
Sr |
Nazareth |
|
Zach Hilt |
So. |
St. John Fisher |
|
Louie Stengel |
Jr |
Stevens |
|
Hunter Padgett |
Sr |
Utica |