Stinson, Deuschle Tabbed Runners of the Year as Empire 8 Conference Announces Cross Country Awards
Utica's Stinson Honored Following a Record-Breaking Season for the Pioneers
Utica's
Kaitlyn Stinson and Houghton's
Tyler Deuschle were named the 2018 Empire 8 Conference Runners of the Year it was announced today. Stinson comes off one of the best seasons in program history, while Deuschle was the top runner at this year's E8 Conference Championship. The awards are voted on by the league's head coaches.
Also recognized were Nazareth's
Hayley Cronin and St. John Fisher's
Andrew Ford as the E8 Rookies of the Year, while the Utica coaching staff swept honors as the top staff in both men's and women's cross country this fall.
For a complete list of all-conference members and award winners, please see below. On the men's side, Utica ledt the way with three First Team selections and six student-athletes named All-Conference, while Stevens was second with five athletes honored. On the women's side, Nazareth, Stevens, and Utica each had four student-athletes named All-Conference. The E8 First and Second Team selections are based on the results at the conference's annual meet. The top 10 finishers are named First Team, while finishers 11-20 are recognized as Second Team selections.
CLOSER LOOK
Stinson became just the second runner in program history to qualify to compete at the NCAA's National Championship race. She posted a program-best 180
th place finish out of 279 participants at this year's event. Stinson, who helped lead the Pioneers to the team title this fall, finished second at the E8 Championship race this season. It's the third consecutive season that she has earned First Team All-Conference accolades.
Deuschle's best effort came on the biggest stage, as he crossed the tape first at this year's E8 Men's Championship at Alfred University. The junior completed the 8K event on a rain-soaked course in 29:58.33, more than ten seconds faster than the second-place finisher. He was also named a First Team All-Conference selection.
Cronin took home the title at this year's E8 Women's Championship, defeating 80 other runners and earning Runner of the Meet laurels. Her time of 25:52.67 was nearly nine seconds faster than any other runner and she was the only freshman runner to finish in the top eight overall. She was also recognized as a First Team All-Conference selection.
Fisher's Ford was the top finishing freshman at this year's conference championship as he crossed the line in 30:49.56, good for 7th-place overall. He also finished 86th at this fall's NCAA Regional Championship. Ford was also recognized as a First Team selection.
The Utica Cross Country coaching staff, led by head coach
Eric Parker, earned honors in both men's and women's cross country following a sweep of the title's at this year's E8 Championship. Additionally, Kaitlyn Stinson represented the program on the national stage as she qualified to compete at this year's National Championship race in Wisconsin becoming just the second student-athlete in program history to do so.
In total, Parker and his staff mentored ten E8 All-Conference selections, including a conference-best six First Team honorees.
Sportsmanship Team
In addition to the year-end awards, one member of each team was named the institution’s representative on the 2018 Cross Country Sportsman of the Year Team. The Empire 8 Conference 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.
Men’s Runner of the Year - Tyler Deuschle, Houghton
Women’s Runner of the Year - Kaitlyn Stinson, Utica
Men’s Rookie of the Year - Andrew Ford, St. John Fisher
Women’s Rookie of the Year - Hayley Cronin, Nazareth
Men’s Coaching Staff of the Year - Utica, led by Eric Parker
Women’s Coaching Staff of the Year - Utica, led by Eric Parker
Men's
1st Team All-Conference
Tyler Deuschle, Houghton
Matthew Gostomski, Houghton
Chris Celecki, Nazareth
Bernard Daoust, St. John Fisher
Andrew Ford, St. John Fisher
Grant Stokoe, St. John Fisher
Adam Sisson, Stevens
Mitch Marlow, Utica
Liam Rodgers, Utica
Tyler Sutton, Utica
2nd Team All-Conference
Joel Wheeler, Houghton
Andrew Gwynn, Nazareth
Cesar Guzman, St. John Fisher
Jake Catalano, Stevens
Chris Kipp, Stevens
Trevor LaDue, Stevens
Tom McKenna, Stevens
Dan Block, Utica
Kyle Engelhart, Utica
Tyler Wright, Utica
Women's
1st Team All-Conference
Alaina Carpenter, Hartwick
Shelby Langlois, Houghton
Dierdre Brett, Nazareth
Hayley Cronin, Nazareth
Erin Miceli, Stevens
Claire Tantillo, Stevens
Mary Visca, Stevens
Renee Lewis, Utica
Jessica Ostrowski, Utica
Kaitlyn Stinson, Utica
2nd Team All-Conference
Emily Blosdale, Houghton
Gwen Stokes, Houghton
Claire Bargabos, Nazareth
Maria Staehr, Nazareth
Kerry Flower, Sage
Gabriella Dunkelberg, St. John Fisher
Brenna Lyons, St. John Fisher
Juliette Miller, St. John Fisher
Trinity Lundemo, Stevens
Jenessa McCabe, Utica
Men’s Sportsmanship Team
Jordan Schools, Alfred
Jon Muller, Elmira
Joseph Ziegler, Hartwick
John Verrick, Houghton
Patrick Healy, Nazareth
Jarryd Wick, Sage
Grant Stokoe, St. John Fisher
Tom Selvaggi, Stevens
Tyler Sutton, Utica
Women’s Sportsmanship Team
Morgan Brothers, Alfred
Irene Zimmerman, Elmira
Milena Zosso, Hartwick
Abbey Naylor, Houghton
Eileen Shea, Nazareth
Victoria Opalka, Sage
Carestia Christiana, St. John Fisher
Claire Tantillo, Stevens
Renee Lewis, Utica
About the Empire 8 Conference
The members of the Empire 8 are committed first and foremost to the pursuit of academic excellence and aspire to be regarded as an outstanding NCAA Division III conference. The membership seeks to distinguish itself among its peer group for its quality institutions, spirited and sportsmanlike competition, outstanding services and highly ethical policies and practices. Its commitment to serve the educational needs of its student-athletes is the hallmark of the Empire 8.