Men's Cross Country | 2/5/2024 4:33:47 PM
Amos Bixler of Houghton University, Nazareth University standouts Nathan Bowers and Cade Eells and Ethan Billings of St. John Fisher University earned 2023 NCAA Division III All-Academic Individual honors, announced by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
In order to qualify for All-Academic distinction, student athletes must have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.30 on a 4.0 scale and finish in the top-25 percent of their respective regional championship meet.
Bixler, a native of Dalton, OH, earned All-Niagara region honors and All-Empire 8 first team accolades in 2023. His fifth place finish at the 2023 Empire 8 Championship on Oct. 28 helped Houghton secure its first Empire 8 title in program history. Bixler, an undeclared major, ran a career-best time over the 8,000-meter course of 25:29.8 in that race and then finished in a nearly identical time over his home course two weeks later to place 28th at the NCAA Niagara Region Championship in 25:30.2.
Bowers, a biology major, earned his second consecutive All-Academic honor in 2022. The 2022 Empire Runner of the Year, Bowers, a native of Endicott, NY, was the lone Empire 8 student-athlete to earn All-Region accolades at the 2022 NCAA Atlantic Regional Championship, hosted by University of Rochester on Nov. 12, placing 24th overall. In addition, Bowers finished as runner-up at the 2022 Empire 8 Championship on Oct. 29 for the third consecutive season in a time of 25:48.2 to earn his third straight All-E8 first team accolade. Bowers, who recorded three top-10 performances this season, set a personal best time of 25:26.9 over 8,000-meters at the Paul Short Invitational at Lehigh University on Sept. 30 and was a four-time Empire 8 Runner of the Week in 2022.
Eells, a native of Ithaca, NY, was named the 2023 Empire 8 Co-Rookie of the Year. He garnered his third consecutive All-Empire 8 first team honor by placing second overall at the 2023 Empire 8 Championships, while recording a time of 25:06.7 over the 8,000-meter course. A psychology major, Eells recorded a personal-best time of 24:53.6 at the SUNY Geneseo Mike Woods Invitational on Oct. 14 and was the top E8 finisher, placing 17th overall at the 2023 NCAA Division III Atlantic Region Championship. He was previously the 2021 Empire 8 Rookie of the Year.
Billings, a native of Wantage, NJ, garnered All-NCAA Atlantic Region honors after placing 33rd at the regional championship in a career-best time of 25:36.0. A sport management major, Billings was the 2022 Empire 8 Champion and earned All-E8 first team honors for the fourth straight season, placing sixth overall at the 2023 league championship race.
ABOUT THE EMPIRE 8 CONFERENCE
The members of the Empire 8 Conference are committed first and foremost to the pursuit of academic excellence and the league is regarded as an outstanding NCAA Division III conference. The membership has distinguished 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 E8. For more on the Empire 8 visit
www.empire8.com.
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