Cross Country All-Conference Teams Announced
Hamilton’s Kosgei Completes Three-Peat, Amherst’s Galleher Claims Top Women’s Honor
HADLEY, Mass. – Seniors Sophia Galleher (Denver, Colo.) of Amherst and Peter Kosgei (Kapsabet, Kenya) of Hamilton both earned 2009 NESCAC Most Outstanding Performer honors after the two placed first at the 2009 NESCAC Cross Country Championships hosted by Trinity College at Wickham Park in Manchester, Conn. on Sunday, Nov. 1.
Galleher won the 2009 individual title at the conference championship by the slimmest of margins, as her time of 21:39 over the 6-kilometer course was just one second ahead of Wesleyan senior Ravenna Neville (Westfield, N.J.) and two seconds in front of Tufts junior Amy Wilfert (Westborough, Mass.). It was also the best finish for Galleher in her four-year career at the NESCAC meet after placing 15th during her first year (24:10), 17th as a sophomore (23:32), and 77th as a junior (24:46). Galleher, who was named NESCAC Rookie of the Year in 2006, was the third consecutive runner from Amherst to win the individual championship, following Heather Wilson in 2007 and Elise Tropiano in 2008.
Neville improved upon an 18th-place showing at the 2008 championship, while Wilfert was 11th at Pineland Farms last fall. All three harriers also claimed All-NESCAC First Team honors for the first time in their careers. Wilfert garnered Second Team accolades in 2008.
Joining the frontrunners on the All-Conference First Team were a pair of first year runners, Julia Mark (Bloomsbury, N.J.) of Wesleyan and Jennifer Gossels (Sudbury, Mass.) of Williams. Mark joined Cardinal teammate Neville among the top five runners at the event as she finished in fifth with a time of 22:15. She also edged the Ephs’ Gossels for NESCAC Rookie of the Year honors by four seconds.
Sophomores Claire McIlvennie (Ithaca, N.Y.) and Elise Moody-Roberts (Cape Elizabeth, Maine) of Middlebury rounded out the Women’s All-NESCAC First Team. The tandem moved up from last year’s Second Team to this year’s First Team as they helped the Panthers win the 2009 NESCAC Women’s Cross Country Championship, their 10th overall and first outright crown since 2003. McIlvennie finished the championship in fourth (21:57) while Moody-Roberts was seventh (22:21).
For the second year in a row, Terry Aldrich of Middlebury was selected by his counterparts as the Women’s Coach of the Year. Aldrich previously received the conference’s top coaching honor in 2000, 2001, and 2008. He has also been honored at the national level as coach of the year on five occasions, most recently in 2008 after the Panthers captured the NCAA crown.
Kosgei joined the ranks of Wesleyan’s Joseph Mahoney (1990, 1992-93) and Williams’ Neal Holtschulte (2003-05) as the only individuals to win the men’s NESCAC title three times in their career. Kosgei completed the 8-kilometer course with a 17-second margin over the next-closest competitor, posting a time of 25:40. The victory for Kosgei was the 21st out of 23 varsity races that he has participated in during his time with the Continentals. Kosgei, who won the 2008 NCAA Championship, also garnered All-Conference First Team honors for the third consecutive year.
Williams senior Edgar Kosgey (Eldoret River Valley, Kenya) also received All-NESCAC First Team recognition for the third year in a row. A familiar face at the front of the Ephs’ pack, Kosgey paced his squad to their fourth NESCAC title in the last four years as he finished second for the second year in a row (25:57). Along with Kosgey on the First Team from Williams was sophomore Josephat Koima (Eldoret Rift Valley, Kenya). In his first appearance at the conference championship, Koima came in third with a time of 26:18.
Tufts senior Jesse Faller (Burlington, Mass.) earned All-NESCAC honors for the third-straight year with his second consecutive top five finish. A Second Team selection in 2007 and a First Team member in 2008, Faller placed fourth with a time of 26:21 and edged the Amherst duo of junior Will Yochum (Goleta, Calif.) and senior Daniel Murner (Crestwood, Ky.). Yochum, the Rookie of the Year and a First Team selection in 2007, finished fifth (26:22) while Murner, who received Second Team accolades in 2008, was sixth (26:24).
Sophomore Mike Schmidt (Wilmette, Ill.) of Middlebury completed the Men’s All-NESCAC First Team. A member of last year’s Second Team, Schmidt led the Panthers to a fourth-place showing at the conference championship - their best finish this decade - with a finish in seventh on Sunday (26:28).
Rookie of the Year went to Tufts freshman Kyle Marks (Carmel, Ind.), as he placed 16th overall with a time of 27:15. Coach of the Year was bestowed upon Pete Farwell of Williams. Now in his 30th season with the Ephs, Farwell’s team has won more NESCAC titles than any other during his tenure, as they captured their 12th overall crown this past weekend at Wickham Park. It is the third time in the last four years that Farwell has been named Coach of the Year after winning the award in 2006 and again in 2007. He shared the league’s coaching honors with Peter Slovenski of Bowdoin in 2000.
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2009 NESCAC Men's Cross Country All-Conference Teams
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| First Team |
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Jesse Faller
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Tufts |
Sr. |
Burlington, Mass.
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| Josephat Koima |
Williams |
So. |
Eldoret Rift Valley, Kenya |
Peter Kosgei
|
Hamilton |
Sr. |
Kapsabet, Kenya
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| Edgar Kosgey |
Williams |
Sr. |
Eldoret River Valley, Kenya |
Daniel Murner
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Amherst
|
Sr. |
Crestwood, Ky.
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Mike Schmidt
|
Middlebury |
So. |
Wilmette, Ill.
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Will Yochum
|
Amherst |
Jr. |
Goleta, Calif.
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| Second Team |
Devin Dilts
|
Bates |
Jr. |
Roscoe, Ill.
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Colman Hatton
|
Bowdoin |
Sr. |
Cape Elizabeth, Maine
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Thompson Ogilvie
|
Bowdoin |
Sr. |
Hopedale, Mass.
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Jeff Perlis
|
Williams
|
Sr. |
Bethesda, Md.
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Anthony Raduazo
|
Williams |
So. |
Bolton, Mass.
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| Jack Terrett |
Middlebury |
Jr. |
Sherborn, Mass. |
Corey Watts
|
Williams |
Sr. |
Madison, Wis.
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| NESCAC Most Outstanding Performer (Medalist) |
| Peter Kosgei |
Hamilton |
Sr. |
Kapsabet, Kenya |
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| NESCAC Rookie of the Year |
Kyle Marks
|
Tufts |
Fr. |
Carmel, Ind.
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| NESCAC Coach of the Year |
Peter Farwell
|
Williams |
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2009 NESCAC Women's Cross Country All-Conference Teams
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| First Team |
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Sophia Galleher
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Amherst |
Sr. |
Denver, Colo.
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Jennifer Gossels
|
Williams |
Fy.
|
Sudbury, Mass.
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Julia Mark
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Wesleyan |
Fy. |
Bloomsbury, N.J.
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Claire McIlvennie
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Middlebury |
So. |
Ithaca, N.Y.
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Elise Moody-Roberts
|
Middlebury |
So. |
Cape Elizabeth, Maine
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Ravenna Neville
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Wesleyan |
Sr. |
Westfield, N.J.
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Amy Wilfert
|
Tufts |
Jr. |
Westborough, Mass.
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| Second Team |
Annie Dear
|
Williams |
Fy. |
Olympia, Wash.
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Lauren Goldstein-Kral
|
Williams |
So. |
Shaker Heights, Ohio
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Katrina Gravel
|
Colby |
Sr. |
Peabody, Mass.
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Cassi Knight
|
Colby |
Sr. |
Carlisle, Mass.
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Sarah Lange
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Middlebury |
Fy. |
Brattleboro, Vt.
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Bret Scofield
|
Williams |
Sr. |
Orinda, Calif.
|
Addie Tousley
|
Middlebury |
Fy. |
Kensington, Md.
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| NESCAC Most Outstanding Performer (Medalist) |
Sophia Galleher
|
Amherst |
Sr. |
Denver, Colo.
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| NESCAC Rookie of the Year |
Julia Mark
|
Wesleyan |
Fy. |
Bloomsbury, N.J.
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| NESCAC Coach of the Year |
Terry Aldrich
|
Middlebury |
