Dec. 8, 2016
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State cross country and track & field program hosted its third-annual awards banquet Thursday night in Deans Hall at the Penn Stater with several student-athletes receiving recognition through awards voted on by the coaches.
"It is extremely important to me to host an awards banquet like we had to honor all of the amazing accomplishments our student-athletes had in 2016," said head coach John Gondak. "They put their heart and soul into being the best they can be and that needs to be recognized. It is also a chance for our up and coming athletes to see that their hard work will pay off down the road."
The 2016 indoor track & field season saw the women's team record a third-place finish, while the men placed sixth. It was the 12th-consecutive year the women have been in the top-four. The men's and women's team would combine for three All-Americans at the NCAA indoor championships in Birmingham, Ala. to close out the indoor season.
During the 2016 Big Ten outdoor track & field championships the Penn State men finished fifth while the women placed 10th. The men's team wrapped up the outdoor season recording their second top-20 finish at the national championships following their highest finish at the outdoor meet in team history since 1966 (ninth-place) with their 17th-place finish.
This fall semester would see the men's cross country team finish ninth at the Big Ten championships, followed by a fifth-place finish at the Mid-Atlantic regional. Tim McGowan was named All-Region for his performance at the meet in University Park, Pa.
The women's cross country team entered the Big Ten championships as the No. 9 team in the nation. Penn State would go on to finish second at the Big Ten championship falling to No. 6 Michigan by a score of 63-70. The second-place finish by Penn State secured the first Top-Two finish in back-to-back years at the Big Ten Cross Country Championships in Program history.
The Nittany Lions captured the Mid-Atlantic regional championship - with five student-athletes earning All-Region honors - before recording a 18th-place finish at the NCAA championships where freshman Elizabeth Chikotas and Jillian Hunsberger earned their first All-American honors finishing 15th and 36th, respectively.
AWARDS RECAP
MEN T&F
MVP Track
MVP Field
Freshman of the Year
Most Improved
Most Inspirational
Coaches' Awards
Captain
Brannon Kidder, Wade Endress, Rob Cardina
Mike Shuey, Brian Leap, Alex Shisler
WOMEN T&F
MVP Track
Tori Gerlach
MVP Field
Dannielle Gibson
Freshman of the Year
Tessa Barrett
Most Improved
Alyssa Robinson
Most Inspirational
Maddie Holmberg
Coaches' Awards
Rachel Fatherly, Lauren Kenney, Lexi Masterson
SJ Underwood
Captain
Lauren Kenney, Rachel Fatherly, Tichina Rhodes
Tori Gerlach, Tal Ben-Artzi, Quenee Dale
MEN XC
MVP
Tim McGowan
Freshman of the Year
Brandon Tubby
Most Improved
Most Inspirational
Captain
Tim McGowan
WOMEN XC
MVP
Tessa Barrett, Elizabeth Chikotas
Jillian Hunsberger
Freshman of the Year
Kathryn Munks
Most Improved
Greta Lindsley
Captain
Tessa Barrett, Jillian Hunsberger
Julie Kocjancic