New England Small College Athletic Conference

NESCAC Cross Country All-Conference Teams Released

11/4/2014 12:00:00 AM

Williams' Cotton, Middlebury's Maxwell Earn Top Honors

HADLEY, Mass. – Williams senior Colin Cotton (Cincinnati, Ohio) and Middlebury senior Alison Maxwell (Port Angeles, Wash.) were named the NESCAC Most Outstanding Performers following the 2014 NESCAC Cross Country Championships hosted by Middlebury on Saturday. The annual honor is given to the individual who finishes first at the conference championship meet.

After finishing second in the 2013 NESCAC Championship, Cotton (pictured right) took home first place by more than 15 seconds with a time of 24:56.8 to go along with his First Team finish in 2013 and his Second Team finish in 2011, which also earned him Rookie of the Year recognition. He is the first Eph male harrier to finish first since Neal Holtschulte won in 2003, 2004 and 2005. Cotton was one of three Williams men’s runners to earn All-NESCAC First Team accolades to help the Ephs capture their seventh title in nine years. Junior Bijan Mazaheri (Wellesley, Mass.) added a first-team performance to his resume to go along with his second-team performance in 2013 and his Rookie of the Year showing in 2012. Senior Aldis Inde (Edina, Minn.) garnered first-team recognition for the first time in his collegiate career.

Colby sophomores David Chelimo (Nayhururu, Kenya), the 2013 NESCAC Rookie of the Year, and Silas Eastman (Chatham, N.H.) landed on the first team after earning Second Team All-NESCAC a year ago. Rounding out the First Team were two other runners elevated from last year’s Second Team, Tufts sophomore Tim Nichols (North Lima, Ohio) and Middlebury senior Kevin Wood (Lincolnshire, Ill.).

Williams first-year Ben Decker (Yarmouth, Maine) was the top first-year harrier at the championship with a 11th-place time of 25:30.6 to become the sixth Eph to receive Rookie of the Year. Senior Wilder Schaaf (Ashland, Ore.) of Middlebury was the lone repeat honoree on the Second Team, as he was named to the Second Team in 2013. Amherst had a trio of runners earn Second Team recognition, as senior Greg Turissini (Maumee, Ohio), junior Dan Crowley (Ludlow, Mass.) and first-year Mohamed Hussein (Hargeisa, Somaliland) finished in the top 14. Rounding out the Second Team were Colby senior Jeff Hale (Waterville, Maine) and Tufts sophomore Luke O’Connor (Chicago, Ill.).  

Colby’s Jared Beers and Williams’ Peter Farwell have been named NESCAC Men’s Cross Country Co-Coaches of the Year. Beers, who is in his ninth season at Colby, has received Coach of the Year recognition for the second straight year. Farwell, who has led the Williams men’s cross country team for 36 years, has been named Coach of the Year on four previous occasions. He was recognized in 2000, 2006, 2007 and 2009.

Maxwell is the first Panther to win the NESCAC championship since 2000 after crossing the finish line more than 16 seconds ahead of senior teammate Summer Spillane (Shelburne, Vt.) with a time of 22:16.8. Maxwell was a 2013 First Team selection, while Spillane moved up from the 2013 Second Team. Junior Adrian Walsh (Bozeman, Mont.), who was also a first-team performer a year ago, rounded out the Middlebury contingent on the First Team. They were joined by 2012 First Team and Rookie of the Year junior Audrey Gould (Pelham, Mass.) of Tufts as repeat honorees. Amherst sophomore Savanna Gornisiewicz (Pompano Beach, Fla.), Hamilton junior Lainie Smith (Bethlehem, Pa.) and Williams sophomore Emma Zehner (New Haven, Conn.) closed out the list of First Team selections. 

The Ephs also landed four first-time honorees on the All-NESCAC Second Team in junior Lacey Serletti (Wynnewood, Pa.), sophomore Hannah Cole (Honeoye Falls, N.Y.) and first-years Victoria Kingham (New York, N.Y.) and Emily Sundquist (Salt Lake City, Utah). Kingham became the fifth Williams women’s harrier to receive NESCAC Rookie of the Year following her ninth-place showing on Saturday. Senior Katie Carlson (Princeton, Mass.) of Middlebury and junior Alanna McDonough (Andover, Mass.) of Colby rounded out the list of Second Team All-NESCAC performers as first-team picks as well.

Nicole Wilkerson of Middlebury has been selected as the NESCAC Women’s Cross Country of the Year by her peers for the second consecutive season. It also marks the second time she has received the award in the four years she has been head coach. Wilkerson also  leads the Panther men’s cross country team. 

Men's All-Conference Teams

First Team All-NESCAC Name Institution Year Hometown David Chelimo Colby So. Nyahururu, Kenya Colin Cotton Williams Sr. Cincinnati, Ohio Silas Eastman Colby  So. Chatham, N.H. Aldis Inde Williams Sr. Edina, Minn. Bijan Mazaheri Williams Jr. Wellesley, Mass. Tim Nichols Tufts So. North Lima, Ohio Kevin Wood Middlebury Sr. Lincolnshire, Ill.         Second Team All-NESCAC Name Institution Year Hometown Dan Crowley Amherst Jr. Ludlow, Mass. Ben Decker Williams Fy. Yarmouth, Maine Jeff Hale Colby Sr. Waterville, Maine Mohamed Hussein Amherst Fy. Hargeisa, Somaliland Luke O'Connor Tufts So. Chicago, Ill. Wilder Schaaf Middlebury Sr. Ashland, Ore. Greg Turissini Amherst Sr. Maumee, Ohio

Most Outstanding Performer Colin Cotton, Williams Rookie of the Year Ben Decker, Williams Co-Coach of the Year Jared Beers, Colby   Co-Coach of the Year Peter Farwell, Williams

Women's All-Conference Teams

First Team All-NESCAC Name Institution Year Hometown Savanna Gornisiewicz Amherst So. Pompano Beach, Fla. Audrey Gould Tufts Jr. Pelham, Mass. Alison Maxwell Middlebury Sr. Port Angeles, Wash. Lainie Smith Hamilton Jr. Bethlehem, Pa. Summer Spillane Middlebury Sr. Shelburne, Vt. Adrian Walsh Middlebury Jr. Bozeman, Mont. Emma Zehner Williams So. New Haven, Conn.         Second Team All-NESCAC Name Institution Year Hometown Katie Carlson Middlebury Sr. Princeton, Mass. Hannah Cole Williams So. Honeoye Falls, N.Y. Victoria Kingham Williams Fy. New York, N.Y. Alanna McDonough Colby Jr. Andover, Mass. Lacey Serletti Williams Jr. Wynnewood, Pa. Lexi Sinclair Amherst Jr. West Bloomfield, Mich. Emily Sundquist Williams Fy. Salt Lake City, Utah

Most Outstanding Performer Alison Maxwell, Middlebury Rookie of the Year Victoria Kingham, Williams Coach of the Year Nicole Wilkerson, Middlebury