BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Boston University claimed two of the four Patriot League M-F Athletic Cross Country Runners of the Week when awards were announced on Tuesday. Lehigh and Navy captured one weekly accolade apiece.
Boston University junior Daisy Liljegren received her second straight Patriot League M-F Athletic Female Cross Country Runner of the Week award after finishing sixth with a career-best 5K time of 16:51.2 at the Panorama Farms Cross Country Invitational hosted by the University of Virginia. Terriers’ freshmen Freddy Collins received M-F Athletic Male Rookie of the week after finishing with an 8K time of 24:18.7 at the Panorama Farms Invitational.
Navy senior Garrison Clark captured his first M-F Athletic Male Cross Country Runner of the Week with a 4.9-mile time of 23:59.1 to win the Army-Navy Star Meet.
Lehigh first-year Lucy Afanasewicz collected M-F Athletic Female Rookie of the Week honors after earning All-East honors at the ECAC Championships on Friday.
Army West Point juniors Erick Lara and Georgia Jones, Bucknell sophomore Keeley Misutka and senior Samuel Whittaker, Lehigh senior Tyler French and Navy junior Emily Boutin received honorable mentions for their performances.
PATRIOT LEAGUE TEAMS IN THE POLLS
When the U.S. Track & Field and Cross-Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) released regional polls on Monday, the Navy women ranked seventh, with Bucknell and Lehigh placing 11th and 15th, respectively. Army West Point is eighth and Boston University is 10th in the Northeast Region.
Three teams are ranked in the Mid-Atlantic Region on the men's side. Navy remained fourth in the region. Bucknell and American are 13th and 15th, respectively. In the Northeast Region, Boston University remained in 11th place, with Army West Point a spot behind in 12th.
PATRIOT LEAGUE M-F ATHLETIC MALE CROSS COUNTRY RUNNER OF THE WEEK
Garrison Clark, Navy, Sr., Severna Park, Md./Severna Park
*Clark finished first with a 4.9-mile time of 23:59.1 to help Navy to a 22-35 victory over Army West Point in the Army-Navy Star Meet in Annapolis, Md.
*The senior finished 15.3 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher to claim his first individual win this season.
PATRIOT LEAGUE M-F ATHLETIC FEMALE CROSS COUNTRY RUNNER OF THE WEEK
Daisy Liljegren, Boston University, Jr., Ho-Ho-Kus, N.J./Northern Highlands Regional
*Liljegren finished sixth out of 173 runners at the competitive Panorama Farms Cross Country Invitational in Earlysville, Va., with a 5K time of 16:51.2.
*She recorded the best 5K time of her career, helping the Terriers finish 10th of an 18-team field that included Virginia, Ole Miss, Kentucky, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest.
PATRIOT LEAGUE M-F ATHLETIC MALE CROSS COUNTRY ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Freddy Collins, Boston University, Fr., Stow, Mass./Nashoba Regional
*Collins finished 51st out of 184 competitors at the Panorama Farms Cross Country Invitational with an 8K time of 24:18.7.
*He was the Terriers’ top finisher to help BU finish 12th out of 17 teams.
PATRIOT LEAGUE M-F ATHLETIC FEMALE CROSS COUNTRY ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Lucy Afanasewicz, Lehigh, Fy., Leonardo, N.J./Middletown South
*Afanasewicz finished 20th out of 345 runners at the ECAC Championships with a 6K-time of 21:57.5 to earn All-East honors. She
*The Leonardo, N.J. native was the top Patriot League individual finisher in a field that included American, Bucknell, Lafayette, Colgate and Loyola Maryland.
HONORABLE MENTION
Erick Lara, Army West Point, Jr., Houston, Texas/Strake Jesuit
*Lara finished third with a 4.9-mile time of 24:17.9 at the Army-Navy Star Meet in Annapolis, Md.
Georgia Jones, Army West Point, Jr., Mount Vernon, N.H./Souhegan
* Jones finished first at the Army-Navy Star Meet with a 6K time of 20:55.
Keeley Misutka, Bucknell, So., Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny
*Misutka placed 56th with a 6K time of 22:06.2 at the Penn State National Open.
Samuel Whittaker, Bucknell, Sr., Salem, Conn./East Lyme
*Whittaker placed 18th out of 162 runners at the Penn State Invitational with a 5.2-mile time of 25:49.5, the best mark of a Patriot League student-athlete in a field that included Lehigh.
Tyler French, Lehigh, Sr., Annandale, Va./W.T. Woodson
*French finished 35th out of 162 runners with a 5.2-mile time of 26:10.8 at the Penn State Invitational.
Emily Boutin, Navy, Jr., Chicopee, Mass./Pope Francis Prep
* Boutin finished second with a 6K time of 20:55.8 to help Navy win the Army-Navy Star Meet in Annapolis, Md.
M-F Athletic Male Runner of the Week
9.6 – Erick Lara, Army West Point
9.13 – Samuel Whittaker, Bucknell
9.20 – Alex Rizzo, Navy
9.27 – Samuel Whittaker, Bucknell
10.4 – Garrett Gough, Army West Point
10.11 – No awards presented
10.18 – Garrison Clark, Navy
M-F Athletic Female Runner of the Week
9.6 – Maddie Zaun, Lehigh
9.13 – Elizabeth Sullivan, Navy
9.20 – Emily Boutin, Navy
9.27 – Veronica Kriss, Boston University
10.4 – Daisy Liljegren, Boston University
10.11 – No awards presented
10.18 - Daisy Liljegren, Boston University
M-F Athletic Male Rookie of the Week
9.6 – Justin Mumford, Navy
9.13 – Trent Dinant, Bucknell
9.20 – Marc Baroncini, Army West Point
9.27 – Parker Schneider, Boston University
10.4 - Parker Schneider, Boston University
10.11 – No awards presented
10.18 – Freddy Collins, Boston University
M-F Athletic Female Rookie of the Week
9.6 – Caryn Rippey, Bucknell
9.13 – Mia Claire Kezal, Navy
9.20 – Mia Claire Kezal, Navy
9.27 – Vera Sjoberg, Boston University
10.4 - Mia Claire Kezal, Navy
10.11 – No awards presented
10.18 – Lucy Afanasewicz, Lehigh
ABOUT THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
The Patriot League is in its fourth decade of academic and athletic achievement, continually demonstrating that student-athletes can excel at both academics and athletics without sacrificing high standards. The Patriot League’s athletic success is achieved while its member institutions remain committed to its founding principle of admitting and graduating student-athletes that are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.