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. Army West Point and Navy captured one weekly accolade apiece.
Boston University junior Daisy Liljegren received Patriot League M-F Athletic Female Cross Country Runner of the Week award after placing 11th out of 428 competitors in the Women’s College 6K Gold Race at the Paul Short Run at Lehigh’s Goodman Campus Cross Country Course. Freshman Parker Schneider claimed M-F Athletic Male Rookie of the Week honors for the second-straight week for his performance in the Men’s College 8K Gold Race at the Paul Short Run.
Army West Point senior Garrett Gough received Patriot League M-F Athletic Male Cross Country Runner of the Week after finishing 42nd out of 429 runners in the 8K Gold Race at the Paul Short Run.
Navy freshman Mia Claire Kezal picked up her second M-F Athletic Female Rookie of the Week award with her time at the Joe Piane Invitational in South Bend, Ind.
Army West Point junior Georgia Jones, Holy Cross senior Eve Feuerbach, Lehigh senior Connor Melko, and Navy juniors Sam Keeny and 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 Lehigh and Bucknell placing 14th and 15th, respectively. Boston University checks in at seventh, while Army West Point is ranked eighth in the Northeast Region.
Four teams are ranked in the Mid-Atlantic Region on the men's side. Navy moves up three spots to fourth place. American enters the rankings at No. 12, with Lehigh and Bucknell placing 13th and 15th. In the Northeast Region, Boston University moved up two places to 11th, with the Army West Point a spot behind in 12th.
PATRIOT LEAGUE M-F ATHLETIC MALE CROSS COUNTRY RUNNER OF THE WEEK
Garrett Gough, Army West Point, Sr., Nevada City, Calif./Nevada Union
*Gough finished 42nd out of 429 runners in the 8K Men’s College Gold race at the Paul Short Run with a time of 23:35.3.
*He was the top Patriot League finisher in a field that included Boston University, Lafayette and Lehigh. North Carolina, Villanova, Utah State and Georgetown took the top four spots in the race.
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 was the top Patriot League finisher, placing 11th out of 428 competitors in the Women’s College Gold 6K race at the Paul Short Run with a time of 19:49.7.
*In a field that included Georgetown, Villanova, UNC and League rivals Army West Point, Lafayette and Lehigh, she recorded her best mark over a 6K cross country distance
PATRIOT LEAGUE M-F ATHLETIC MALE CROSS COUNTRY ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Parker Schneider, Boston University, Fr., Durand, Wis./Durand
*Schneider finished 105th out of 429 runners in the 8K College Men’s Gold Race at the Paul Short Run with a time of 24:04.
*His time was the third fastest of all Patriot League competitors and the fastest of all of the League’s rookie runners.
PATRIOT LEAGUE M-F ATHLETIC FEMALE CROSS COUNTRY ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Mia Claire Kezal, Navy, Fr., Saco, Maine/Thornton Academy
*Kezal was Navy’s third finisher with a 5K time of 17:33.6 at the Joe Piane Invitational in South Bend, Ind.
*She finished 96th out of a 186-runner field with competitors from NC State, New Mexico, Notre Dame and Alabama.
HONORABLE MENTION
Georgia Jones, Army West Point, Jr., Mount Vernon, N.H./Souhegan
*Jones placed 17th out of 428 runners in the Women’s College Gold 6K race at the Paul Short Run with a time of 20:03.4, second among all Patriot League competitors.
Eve Feuerbach, Holy Cross, Sr., Manchester, Mass./Manchester-Essex
*Feuerbach placed second in the 6K Women’s College Brown race at the Paul Short Run with a time of 20:47.6, the top spot among Patriot League competitors from Colgate,
Connor Melko, Lehigh, Sr., Mickleton, N.J./Bishop Eustace Prep
*Melko was Lehigh’s top finisher with a time of 24:21.5 in the Men’s College Gold Race at the Paul Short Run. His time was the fourth-fastest in program history on the Goodman Campus Cross Country Course.
Sam Keeny, Navy, Jr., Annapolis, Md./South River
*Keeny was Navy’s top finisher by placing 38th with a time of 24:06.5 in the five-mile Joe Piane Invitational in South Bend, Ind. Keeny led the Mids’ top-four runners in the top 75 in a field that included No. 14 Notre Dame, No. 22 Montana State, No. 24 Butler and No. 25 Alabama.
Emily Boutin, Navy, Jr., Chicopee, Mass./Pope Francis Prep
*Boutin finished 39th out of 186 runners at the Joe Piane Invitational in South Bend, Ind., with a 5K time of 16:51.0. She was the Mids’ top finisher in a meet that included NC State, New Mexico, Notre Dame and Alabama.
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
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
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
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
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.