O'Connor and Jagoe earn top honors in Liberty League Men's Cross Country
2018 Liberty League Men's Cross Country Awards
RUNNER OF THE YEAR: Grant O’Connor, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Sr., West Hartford, Conn.
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute senior Grant O’Connor was selected as the Liberty League Runner of the Year for the second consecutive year. An All-American for the third straight year, O’Connor placed 23rd at the NCAA Division III Championship in 24:52.9 on the 8K course. O'Connor was also named the Atlantic Region Athlete of the Year for the second straight year by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) after winning the NCAA Atlantic Regional Championship in 26:00.08. O’Connor finished second to teammate Sean O'Connor at the Liberty League championship finishing in 24:51.3, which was better than his meet-record time the previous season. He also recorded top-five finishes at the Saratoga Invitational and Purple Valley Classic.
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Danny Jagoe, Ithaca College, FY, Fairfield, Conn.
Ithaca College first-year runner Danny Jagoe was selected as the Liberty League Rookie of the Year. Jagoe was the top freshman finisher at the Liberty League Championships placing 32nd overall with a personal-best time of 26:19. Jague was the fifth first-year finisher overall and top Liberty League freshman at the NCAA Regional on Nov. 10, placing 56th overall (27:34.2) - Ithaca's fifth runner.
COACHING STAFF OF THE YEAR: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute – John Lynch, Head Coach
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute head coach John Lynch and assistant coaches Kailyn Balzano and Ben Fazio earned Liberty League Coaching Staff of the Year honors in men's cross country. Lynch guided his team to a third straight Liberty League championship, an NCAA Atlantic Region Championship and a 13th-place finish at the NCAA Division III Championship. At the Liberty League meet, the Engineers placed all five scorers in the top 10, earning 27 team points, good for a 21-point victory over runner-up RIT. The team’s 13th-place finish at the national championship equaled RPI's best finish in program history while also marking the third straight top-15 finish for RPI. The Engineers won five meets on the season – St. Rose, Purple Valley Classic (Williams), Saratoga Invitational (RPI), Liberty League and NCAA Atlantic Regional.
ALL-LIBERTY LEAGUE FIRST TEAM:
1. Sean O’Connor – RPI, 24:49.2
2. Grant O’Connor – RPI, 24:51.3
3. Dadley Ogetii – St. Lawrence, 24:55.1
4. Nicholas Vielhauer – St. Lawrence, 24:59.3
5. Otto Kingstedt – RIT, 25:12.0
6. Henry Jaques – RPI, 25:26.4
7. Reid Kovacs – RIT, 25:30.6
ALL-LIBERTY LEAGUE SECOND TEAM:
8. Noah Falasco – RPI, 25:35.1
9. Andrew Chabot – RIT, 25:35.2
10. Jacob Davis – RPI, 25:38.0
11. Jake Kloman – RPI, 25:39.1
12. Joe Domanico – RPI, 25:39.8
13. Vince Putrino – RPI, 25:44.2
14. Herlandt Lino, RIT, 25:47.4
ALL-LIBERTY LEAGUE HONORABLE MENTION:
15. Danny Napora – RPI, 25:53.2
16. Johnny Capobianco – RPI, 25:57.4
17. Evan Feigel – RIT, 25:58.4
18. Erik Lacourt – RPI, 25:59.0
19. Forest Stewart – Ithaca, 26:01.1
20. Chris Singer – Ithaca, 26:01.3
21. Garrett Bampos – Ithaca, 26:01.5
* All-Liberty League based on place finish at Liberty League Championship