New England Small College Athletic Conference

Cross Country All-Conference Teams Announced

11/1/2011 12:00:00 AM

Top Honors Bestowed Upon Middlebury’s Schmidt, Williams’ Del Piccolo

HADLEY, Mass. – Middlebury senior Michael Schmidt (Wilmette, Ill.) and Williams sophomore Chiara Del Piccolo (Basalt, Colo.) were named the NESCAC Most Outstanding Performers after the 2011 NESCAC Cross Country Championships at Amherst College on Saturday, Oct. 29. The annual honor is given to the individual who finishes first at the conference championship meet.

After placing second last fall, Schmidt became only the second Panther to ever win the NESCAC meet as he joined former Middlebury runner Mike Graham, who finished first at the 1983 championship which was also held at Amherst. Schmidt traversed a significant amount of the wet 8-kilometer course with only one shoe, as his time of 25:51 was a full 20 seconds better than the next runner to cross the finish line. In addition to being named Most Outstanding Performer, Schmidt garnered All-NESCAC recognition for the fourth consecutive year with his third-straight First Team honor.

Schmidt was one of five individuals on the All-Conference First Team that earned All-NESCAC in some form last fall. Repeating on the First Team with Schmidt was Connecticut College sophomore Michael LeDuc (Canton, Mass.), the 2010 Rookie of the Year. LeDuc placed seventh overall at the NESCAC championship. Moving up from last year’s Second Team to this year’s First Team were Tufts junior Matt Rand (Cape Elizabeth, Maine) along with sophomores Tully Hannan (West Hartford, Conn.) of Bates and Coby Horowitz (Stow, Mass.) of Bowdoin. Horowitz was second to Schmidt with a time of 26:11, while Rand was four seconds behind in third. Hannan finished fifth overall.

Rounding out the 2011 Men’s Cross Country First Team were Williams senior Anthony Raduazo (Bolton, Mass.) and Wesleyan junior Skyler Cummins (Palo Alto, Calif.). Both runners posted improved times from 2010, as Raduazo jumped from 23rd to sixth and Cummins went from 20th to fourth.

Rookie of the Year was bestowed upon Williams’ Colin Cotton (Cincinnati, Ohio). Cotton, who also earned All-NESCAC Second Team, was the top first year harrier at the championship with an 11th place time of 26:29.

For the first time in his career, Bates head coach Al Fereshetian was chosen by his counterparts as the Men’s Coach of the Year. Fereshetian, now in his 17th season as the head of the Bobcats’ cross country program, helped his team achieve a tie for second at this past weekend’s championship, the best showing for the Bobcats since 1994. He was named NESCAC Coach of the Year in Men’s Track & Field this past spring for the first time as well.

Del Piccolo has had an impressive October for the Ephs. After winning the annual Little Three Championships on Oct. 15, Del Piccolo was among the favorites for medalist honors at this past weekend’s league meet. Gaining the lead just past the midway point on Saturday, Del Piccolo pulled away from the field as she finished the 6-kilometer course in 21:58, nearly 30 seconds ahead of the next harrier and over 90 seconds better than her 2010 performance that earned her 22nd place. Del Piccolo also received All-NESCAC First Team recognition.

All seven of the Women’s Cross Country All-Conference First Team members were first time honorees. Joining Del Piccolo from the Ephs on the First Team were senior Olivia Delia (Califon, N.J.) and first year Anna Spiers (Chester, Va.), who also was named NESCAC Rookie of the Year. Delia was fifth with a time of 22:58, while Spiers came in seventh at 23:05. Williams placed four runners among the top 10 to claim the 2011 NESCAC Women’s Cross Country Championship.

Representing runner-up Middlebury on the First Team were senior Margo Cramer (Seattle, Wash.) and junior Addie Tousley (Kensington, Md.). Tousley came in third with a time of 22:44 and Cramer was not far behind, finishing fourth in 22:56.

Completing the All-NESCAC First Team were juniors Keri Lambert (Amherst, Mass.) of Amherst and Berol Dewdney (Chester, Vt.) of Colby. Placing 60th at Hamilton last fall with a time of 24:21, Lambert came in second to Williams’ Del Piccolo at 22:27 on her home course. Dewdney posted a time of 23:01, good enough for sixth among the field of 123.

Coach of the Year went to Pete Farwell of Williams. Farwell, who has been with the college since 1979 as the men’s coach and began guiding the women’s program in 2000, earned the league’s coaching honor following the Ephs’ 12th NESCAC crown on Saturday at Amherst. It is the third time in Farwell’s career that he has been named Women’s Cross Country Coach of the year, having received the award in 2002 and again in 2005.