FSU MEN’S & WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY AWARDS ANNOUNCED
Senior Joe Every & Junior Rachel Cox Garner Most Valuable Runner Accolades
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| Joe Every |
Rachel Cox |
Senior Joe Every (Niles) and junior Rachel Cox (Gladstone/Battle Creek Lakeview) were named Most Valuable Runners for the 2003 Ferris State University men’s and women’s cross country teams, respectively, in an announcement made today by eighth-year head coach Jeff Kavalunas.
Every compiled three top-20 finishes this campaign, including back-to-back 13th-place performances at the Central Michigan Drenth Memorial (8/29) and the Northwood Invitational (9/5). The four-year letterwinner placed 32nd overall (26:29.7 time) in the eight-kilometer (K) Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Championships (10/25), which were held at FSU’s Katke Golf Course in Big Rapids, Mich. Every, who was Ferris’ top finisher in six of eight races this campaign, finished 59th overall (34:03.2) on the 10K course at the 2003 NCAA-II Great Lakes Region Championships (11/8) in Hudsonville, Mich.
A two-year letterwinner, Cox placed among the top 15 competitors in five of eight outings this season. She captured top individual honors by clocking a 19.49.30 time in the 5K Northwood Invitational at Midland, Mich. Cox earned both All-GLIAC Second-Team and NCAA-II All-Great Lakes Region recognition by finishing 11th (22:39.0) and 12th (22:29.6), respectively, in the 6K GLIAC and NCAA-II Great Lakes Region Championships. She also claimed second place (19:10.70) in the 5K Bulldog Invitational (9/26) held at the Katke Golf Course.
The men’s Most Improved Runner Award was presented to freshman Chase Gibson (Big Rapids), who competed in this season’s final three meets. Gibson’s highest finish was 114th (29:55) in the 8K Michigan Intercollegiate Championships (10/10) at Hudsonville, Mich. He placed 116th overall with a 29:22.2 time in the GLIAC Championships.
Freshman Julia Viel (Big Rapids) garnered women’s Most Improved Runner Award recognition after finishing among the top 35 runners in four of the Bulldogs’ final six races this campaign. Viel placed 10th overall (19:41.60) in the Bulldog Invitational and was 20th (22:51.4) at the GLIAC Championships. She also captured 34th-place honors in both the 6K Michigan Intercollegiate Championships (23:37) and the NCAA-II Great Lakes Region Championships (23:08.1).
The Bulldog women’s cross country team finished sixth overall (133 points) in the 2003 GLIAC Championships and placed ninth (212 points) at the regional championships. Ferris’ men’s team took 10th place (273 points) in the league championships and was 20th (561 points) among the regional field. Five of Ferris’ top six men’s runners and all 10 women’s squad members are eligible to return for the 2004 campaign.
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