ECAC Announces Men's Cross Country Runners of the Month for September
DANBURY, Conn. – The Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) has announced the Mens Cross Country Players of the Month for September 2018.
Division II
Runner of the Month
Noah Simatei - New York Institute of Technology, So
Named ECC Runner of Week on Sept. 10, Sept. 17 and Sept. 24 ... Won NYIT Invitational for second straight year, this time at 24:51.31 (1:36.62 better than runner-up and teammate Felix Kemei) ... Repeat winner of LIU Post Invitational on Sept. 22 ... Won Paul Short Invitational "White" Race at Lehigh on Sept. 29.
Rookie of the Month
Kyuande Johnson - Lincoln University, Fr
Kyuande has earned CIAA Runner of the Week honors twice this season and has been Lincoln's top runner all season. Opened the season with an 11th place finish at the Wilmington Invite with a time of 30:54. Placed 39th at Philly Metro meet with at time of 30:12. Johnson finished 16th at the Delaware Invitational with a time of 30:17. (was the second non-DI finisher)
Division III - North
Runner of the Month
Sean O’Conner - Rennslear Polytechnic Institute Sr
O’Conner ran in just two meets during the month of September but placed first in both. He started his season at Purple Valley Classic hosted by Williams college and rank the eight-kilometer course in a time of 25:44.7. The first-place finish beat out 209 competitors and saw him win Liberty League Men’s Cross Country Performer of the week. In his second meet of the season at the Saratoga Invitational on Sept. 29, O’Conner ran a time of 25:03.4 on an eight-kilometer. This time bested all 240 at the meet.
Rookie of the Month
Dillon VanDemortel - SUNY Cobelskill, Fr
VanDemortel was busy in his first month of collegiate cross country action running in five meets. Of those five meets the first-year has won four of them. His fastest time of the month was at the Jim Sheehan Memorial Invite where he ran the eight-kilometer course in a time of 26:23 to beat our 91 other runners. He was named NEAC Runner-of-the-Week twice on Sept. 2 and Sept. 9.
Division III – South
Runner of the Month
Gavin Gibson - McDaniel College, Sr
Gibson won all four of the meets he ran during the month of September. He won the Towson Invitational by more than 53 seconds with a time of 15:28.80. His fastest eight-kilometer time came at the Lancaster Bible Invitational where he posted a time of 26:57.0, 38 seconds faster than the next closest finisher to beat out the field of 137. During the month he was named Centennial Conference Runner of the Week twice.
Rookie of the Month
Jack Finnerin - Salisbury University, Fr
Finnerin has been one of Salisbury’s top-five runners in two of the Sea Gulls’ three meets. His best finish during the month was 19 coming in competition that featured Division I and Division II runners. His fastest mark was a time of 27:05.
Division III – Metro
Runner of the Month
Merilin Padilla Jr. – City College of New York, Jr
Padilla Jr. competed in three meets during September and saw his best finish and best time come at the Baruch Invitational. The Junior posted a time of 28:57.7 on the eight-
kilometer course ran at Van Cortland Park. For his efforts on the course he was named CUNY Athletic Conference runner of the week.
Rookie of the Month
Lucas Jordan – U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, Fr
Jordan has had a stellar start to his first year on campus being named Skyline Conference Runner of the Week twice (Sept. 10 & Sept. 17) and Skyline Rookie of the Week once (Sept. 4). He has finished in the top-10 in all four races he's run in this season, top-5 in three of them, which included a first-place finish in his first race of his career. In his first place finish he posted a time of 20:19.5 on a six-kilometer course and finished third on an eight-kilometer Van Courtland Park course with a time of 29:19.2.
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