FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
AIC's Kipkosgei Completes Three-Peat as NE10 Men's Athlete of the Year.
MANSFIELD, Mass. – American International's Leakey Kipkosgei and Stonehill's Anna Lastra won the NE10 Men's and Women's Athlete of the Year awards, respectively, as the Northeast 10 Conference announced its Cross Country All-Conference Awards on Thursday afternoon. It is the third-straight year that Kipkosgei has earned the honor.
For a complete list of the all-conference selections, please see below. All-Conference teams are based on the student-athletes' performance at the NE10 Championships, which took place earlier this month at the Hopkinton State Fairgrounds in New Hampshire. The league's head coaches vote to decide the conference's major award winners.
Kipkosgei, who took home the individual title at this month's NE10 Championships, wins the award for the third consecutive season. He is undefeated in his senior season, posting wins at the Adelphi Invitational, All-New England Championship and CCSU Mini Meet. Kipkosgei finished the NE10 Championship course in a time of 24:22.11, fastest among all men's athletes and fifth-fastest in conference history. He becomes the third athlete to earn three Men's Athlete of the Year awards in NE10 Men's Cross Country history.
Stonehill's Lastra was the NE10 Champion in Hopkinton earlier this month, finishing in a time of 21:57.39 on her way to being named Women's Athlete of the Year. She becomes the third-straight athlete from Stonehill to win the honor, extending the Skyhawks' streak of Women's Athlete of the Year awards to four consecutive seasons. Lastra was a consistent top five runner for Stonehill all year long, culminating in her excellent time at the NE10 Championship to lead Stonehill to her 10th straight league title.
Lastra's teammate, Rebecca Erhard, takes home NE10 Women's Rookie of the Year after finishing at the NE10 Championship in a time of 22:36.69 - good for 15th-place and a spot on the All-Conference Third Team. She was a top-seven runner for Stonehill in every race this season, helping the Skyhawks to the NE10 title.
Southern Connecticut's Chris Lebeau, who helped the Owls earn their first-ever NE10 Men's Cross Country title, finished third in Hopkinton in a time of 25:02.45 - earning him a place on the All-Conference First Team and Men's Rookie of the Year designation. The Owls finished the race with 50 points, seven ahead of Stonehill to make program history.
John Wallin, head coach of the Southern Connecticut men's cross country team, earned NE10 Men's Cross Country Coach of the Year after helping the Owls to their first-ever NE10 Championship earlier this month. Stonehill's legendary coach Karen Boen was voted NE10 Women's Coach of the Year, leading her powerful Skyhawks' program to their 10th-straight league title and 17th overall.
Men’s Athlete of the Year Women’s Athlete of the Year
Leakey Kipkosgei, AIC Anna Lastra, Stonehill
Men’s Rookie of the Year Women’s Rookie of the Year
Chris Lebeau, SCSU Rebecca Erhard, Stonehill
Men’s Coach of the Year Women’s Coach of the Year
John Wallin, SCSU Karen Boen, Stonehill
FIRST TEAM – MEN FIRST TEAM - WOMEN
Leakey Kipkosgei, AIC Anna Lastra, Stonehill
Lucas Taxter, Stonehill Samantha Curtin, Stonehill
Chris Lebeau, SCSU Makenzie Cyr, Stonehill
Alex Demeule, Stonehill Jill Couto, SNHU
Riley Dowd, Stonehill Isabel Baker, Stonehill
Chris Davitt, Le Moyne Katherine Ferrara, Merrimack
Terrell Patterson, SCSU Christine Myers, Saint Rose
SECOND TEAM – MEN SECOND TEAM - WOMEN
Riley Fenoff, Franklin Pierce Tia Foglietta, Merrimack
Cedric Jocelyn, SNHU Alyssa Freeman, Stonehill
Connor Shannahan, SCSU Eva Keohane, Le Moyne
Jake Mattei, SCSU Amanda Ashe, Adelphi
Benoit Campion, AIC Nicole Julian, Adelphi
Andrew Lamb, Assumption Yasmine Graziani, AIC
Siem Mehretu, AIC Abigail French, Saint Michael’s
THIRD TEAM – MEN THIRD TEAM - WOMEN
Michael Moreno, SNHU Rebecca Erhard, Stonehill
Patric Clark, AIC Jordan Callahan, Stonehill
Charlie Joslin-Allen, AIC Brittney Mack, Le Moyne
Ethan Matthews, SNHU Kialeigh Marston, Assumption
Steven Cugini, SCSU Sophia Anderle, Stonehill
TJ Corliss, Merrimack Siobhan O’Keefe, Stonehill
Nickolas McNamee, Stonehill Grace Henson, SNHU
ABOUT THE NE10
The NE10 is an association of 15 diverse institutions serving student-athletes across 24 NCAA Division II sports. Together we build brilliant futures by embracing the journey of every student-athlete.
Each year, 4,500 student-athletes compete in conference championships, making the NE10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sport sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the NE10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.