Cortland Places 10 on CSC Track and Field/Cross Country Academic All-District Teams
Cortland Sports Information Department
Ten SUNY Cortland student-athletes have been named to the 2024 Division III Men's and Women's Track and Field/Cross Country Academic All-District teams for District 3.
The all-district teams are selected by College Sports Communicators (CSC). In Division III, District 3 encompasses all schools in New York State. Recipients must be at least a sophomore academically and athletically with a minimum 3.50 cumulative grade point average and meet certain requirements in terms of athletic accomplishments.
Cortland's all-district honorees are:
MEN:
Hunter Brignall (Seneca Falls/Mynderse Academy), Grad.
Isaiah Brunache (Bennington, VT/Mount Anthony Union), So.
Tommy Burek (Latham/Shaker), Sr.
Harrison Gavalas (Southampton), So.
Brandon Root (Merrick/John F. Kennedy), Jr.
WOMEN:
Anika Parnell (Corinth), Sr.
Devin Reilly (Irvington), Jr.
Sydney Smith (Greenville), Grad.
Kendall Sobczyk (Wheatfield/Niagara Wheatfield), So.
Alexa Wolcott (Wyoming/Pavilion), So.
Brignall is a graduate student majoring in health with a 3.90 GPA and he was an undergraduate student with a 3.74 GPA in physical education, graduating in December 2023. He was named the 2023 SUNYAC Men's Cross Country Runner of the Year after finishing fourth at the NCAA Niagara Region Championships to earn an NCAA championship berth. He also was first team All-SUNYAC with a fourth-place showing. In addition, Brignall played fourth in the 800 meters and fifth in the 1,500 meters at the SUNYAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships and was sixth in the conference indoors in the 3,000 meters.
Brunache is an exercise science major with a 3.98 GPA. During the indoor track and field season he won the SUNYAC title in the weight throw and earned all-region honors in both the weight throw and shot put. He qualified for the NCAA Championships but did not compete due to injury. During the outdoor campaign, Brunache was named the SUNYAC Championship Most Valuable Performer after scoring 22 points at the conference meet. He earned all-region honors in the discus, shot put and hammer throw and competed at nationals in the discus (18th place) and shot put (20th place).
Burek graduated this past May as a physical education major with a 3.58 overall GPA and he'll be a graduate student in health in the fall. During the indoor season he ranked 17th regionally in the shot put and 18th in the weight throw, and he finished sixth at the SUNYAC Championships in the weight throw. Outdoors, he ranked 11th regionally in the shot put and 16th in the hammer. He finished sixth in the hammer and seventh in the shot put at the conference meet.
Gavalas is a business economics major with a 3.61 overall GPA. He was part of Cortland's second team All-America 4x400-meter relay team at the NCAA Outdoor Championships (12th place) and the Red Dragons' NCAA indoor qualifying 4x400-meter relay unit (11th place). He earned All-Niagara Region honors indoors in the 400-meter dash and the 4x400-meter realy and outdoors in the 4x400-meter and 4x100-meter relays. Gavalas was part of the SUNYAC championship 4x400-meter relay team and earned All-SUNYAC honors in the 400-meter dash both indoors and outdoors (third place at each meet) and in the outdoor 4x400-meter relay (second place).
Root is an inclusive childhood education major with a 3.65 overall GPA. he ranked eighth regionally and finished fifth at the SUNYAC Championships in the 400-meter hurdles during the outdoor track and field season.
Parnell graduated this past May as an exercise science major with a 3.78 overall GPA. She earned third team All-SUNYAC honors indoors as part of Cortland's third-place Distance Medley Relay team and she ranked 40th regionally in the mile run. Outdoors, Parnell was eighth in the SUNYAC and ranked 14th regionally in the 3,000-meter steeplechase.
Reilly is a sport management major with a 3.64 overall GPA. During the outdoor season she finished sixth in the SUNYAC and ranked 16th regionally in the 10,000-meter run. Indoors, she ranked 29th regionally in the 5,000 meters.
Smith is a graduate student in Communication Sciences and Disorders with a 3.56 GPA. She earned her undergraduate degree in May 2023 as a speech and hearing science major with a 3.52 GPA. Smith was part of Cortland's third-place Distance Medley Relay team that earned All-SUNYAC honors indoors. She also was the SUNYAC runner-up outdoors in the 1,500 meters and finished sixth in the mile at the SUNYAC indoor championship meet.
Sobczyk is an early childhood and childhood education major with a 3.94 GPA. Indoors she earned All-Niagara Region honors and finished third in the SUNYAC to pick up All-SUNYAC recognition in the 60-meter dash, and she placed sixth in the SUNYAC in the 200-meter dash. Outdoors, she ran on Cortland's SUNYAC winning 4x100-meter relay and was third team All-SUNYAC with a third-place effort in the 100-meter dash. She earned all-region honors in the 4x100-meter relay.
Wolcott is a fitness development major with a 3.74 GPA. She earned all-region honors at the 2023 NCAA Niagara Region Championships with a 27th-place finish. During the indoor track and field season, she ranked 19th regionally in the 5,000 meters, 24th in the 3,000 meters and 28th in the mile, and outdoors she ranked eighth regionally in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and 26th in the 5,000 meters. Wolcott placed seventh in the SUNYAC in both the 3,000 meters indoors and 3,000-meter steeplechase outdoors.