SUNYAC announces 2018 women's cross country top awards
CORTLAND, N.Y. - The State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) has determined the winners of its yearly awards for women's cross country. The awards consist of Runner of the Year, Rookie of the Year and Coach of the Year, all voted on by the coaches.
Runner of the Year - Elise Ramirez, Geneseo
For the second year in a row, Elise Ramirez has been recognized as the Runner of the Year in the SUNYAC. The senior once again showed exemplary performance this season, including a first-place finish at this year's conference championships in Fredonia, with a time of 24:02.8. She and four other Knights finished in the top five among the other racers, allowing Geneseo to easily win its eighth-consecutive women's cross country conference title (18th overall). Ramirez was also bestowed SUNYAC All-Conference First Team honors. During the Atlantic Regional Championships, Ramirez's first-place finish of 21:50.45 among 299 runners made her Geneseo's fifth Atlantic Region individual champion and first since 2007. Her efforts also helped lead Geneseo to emerge as Regional champions. In this year's NCAA Division III Championships, Ramirez finished 25th, helping the Knights finish fifth overall.
Rookie of the Year - Clara Flores-Reininger, New Paltz
The New Paltz freshman wasted no time establishing herself as one the top-performing runners on the women's cross country team. After garnering accolades for her performances in cross country and track & field in high school, Flores-Reininger's performances as a Hawk were also worthy of regonition - including her performance at this year's SUNYAC cross country championships. The freshman ran an impressive 26:19.1 on the Fredonia course, resulting in a 20th-place finish among 104 runners. During the Atlantic Regionals, Flores-Reininger was the 64th runner to cross the finish line out of 304 in total. The Hawks, who finished third in this year's conference championship meet, will look forward to building off of Flores-Reininger's capabilities.
Coach of the Year - Dan Moore, Geneseo
For the third consecutive year, Geneseo men's and women's cross country head coach Dan Moore has been awarded Coach of the Year. There's a good reason why Moore's peers have continually recognized his coaching efforts in the sport. Under his leadership, the Geneseo men's and women's cross country teams have been recognized as among the most elite running programs nationwide. The Knights dominated in this year's women's cross country championships, coming out on top for the eigth time in a row. Furthermore, under Moore's guidance, the women's team claimed victory in the Atlantic Regionals. Geneseo is the winningest team in the 31-year history of the Atlantic Region Championships with 11 total titles. The Knights didn't disappoint in the NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships either, finishing fifth among 32 teams who competed.
