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Today’s Scholar-Athletes - Tomorrow’s Leaders

American * Army * Bucknell * Colgate * Holy Cross * Lafayette * Lehigh * Navy

Date: November 14, 2002

Contact: Kristina Petersen

Phone: (610) 289-1963

Patriot League Cross Country All-League Teams AnnouncedBucknell's Bryan Johnston And American’s Samia Akbar Headline The List Of Honorees

CENTER VALLEY, Pa. -- The American University men’s and women’s cross country teams, who claimed the 2002 Patriot League

Cross Country titles, placed a League-best 10 student-athletes on the Patriot League Men’s and Women’s All-League first-team.

Leading the list of Eagles honorees is 2002 Patriot League Women’s Cross Country Runner of the Meet Samia Akbar. The senior

completed the individual race in course-record fashion with a time of 21:53.72. She was followed by teammates Jen Baclawski, who was

third, Keira Carlstrom, who crossed the finish line fourth and Whitney McNees, the ninth-place finisher.

The AU men placed six runners on the All-League first-team and one on the second-team squad. The top Eagle finisher on the men’s

side at the PL Championship was Matt Seymour, who came in second with a time of 25:51.81. Seymour was followed closely by Matt

Cooke and Sean Duffy, who were fourth and fifth, respectively. Frank Malpigli led a pack of three AU runners, including Pat MacAdie

and track & field All-American Sean O’Brien, across the line in the eighth through 10th spots. American head coach Matt Centrowitz

was honored by his peers as the Men’s and Women’s Coach of the Year.

The Army men, who came in second-place, lay claim to a PL-best eight all-stars. David Welch and Philip Sakala were the Black

Knight representatives on the first-team after third- and seventh-place finishes, respectively. Six USMA student-athletes took home

second-team accolades, including Aaron Smead (11th), Eric Heely (12th), Eric Motzenbecker (13th), Ahren Reiter (15th), Seth

Chappell (16th) and Adam Patten (20th).

The Black Knight women also had a successful run at the 2002 Championship, placing six runners on the All-League teams, including

a pair of first-teamers. Freshman Ashley Urick paced the Army field for the fourth time with a fifth-place showing, while Alexis Seefeldt

came in seventh spot. The second-team recipients include Stephanie Richardson (11th), Jill Hajec (15th), Tara Mahoney (17th) and

Analise Kolsch (18th).

Bucknell finished second to the Eagles in the women’s meet, but still managed to earned All-League honors for six student-athletes.

The top Bison runner was Theresa Dennis, who is an all-star for the fourth-straight year, with a silver medal finish with a time of

22:35.56. Other BU runners to take home first-team accolades are sixth-place finisher Nicki Piper (23:17.10) and Allison Cole (23:23.00),

who came in eighth spot. Headlining the list of second-team honorees for Bucknell are Katie Pfeifer (13th), Jamie Gow (14th) and

Kayla Halloran (19th).

The Bison men were led by 2002 Patriot League Men’s Cross Country Runner of the Meet Bryan Johnston, who broke the tape with

a course-record time of 25:43.18. Stephen Schaefer landed on the second-team all-star list with an 18th-place outing.

Colgate men earned a spot on each of the men’s All-League teams, while the women placed one runner on the second-team. Louis Di

Nuzzo was the top Raider runner for the men with a time of 25:57.20, which was good enough for sixth spot. Xavier de Boissezon came

in 17th spot for second-team men’s honors and Lia Cross crossed the finish line in 12th position for a spot on the second-team.

Rounding out the list of women’s post-season honorees are Lafayette’s Rian Landers, who filled the last spot on the first-team with

a 10th-place finish, and Lehigh runners Maureen Schaub (16th) and Edann Brady (20th).

Sean McCarthy was the lone Holy Cross men’s entry to claim all-star honors with a 14th-place outing.

The Patriot League, which was founded on the principles of admitting athletes who are academically representative of their class, is

in its second decade of academic and athletic excellence. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important

component of the undergraduate experience. The Patriot League, which began as a successful Division I-AA football conference in 1986

and became an all-sport conference in 1990, includes American, Army, Bucknell, Colgate, Holy Cross, Lafayette, Lehigh and Navy as full

members and six associate members. These institutions are among the oldest and most prestigious in the nation and their alumni have

played leadership roles in the shaping of our country. In the most recent NCAA Graduation Rate Report of student-athletes, the Patriot

League ranked FIRST among NCAA Division I conferences.

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2002 Patriot League Cross Country All-League Teams

MEN

First Team

Name, School Yr. Hometown/High School Previous All-League Honors

Bryan Johnston, Bucknell Sr. Kane, Pa./Kane Area 2001

Matt Seymour, American Jr. Rockville, Md./Magruder 2001

David Welch, Army So. Bloomington, Ind./Bloomington North

Matt Cooke, American Jr. Washington, D.C./Maret

Sean Duffy, American So. Holmes, Pa./Cardinal O’Hara

Louis Di Nuzzo, Colgate Jr. Loudonville, N.Y./Shaker

Philip Sakala, Army Fr. Las Cruces, N.M./Onate

Frank Malpigli, American Jr. Bay Shore, N.Y./Bay Shore 2001

Pat MacAdie, American So. Acton, Mass./Acton-Boxboro Regional

Sean O’Brien, American Sr. Tewksbury, Mass./Winnisquam Regional

Second Team

Aaron Smead, Army Jr. Mosca, Colo./Sangre de Cristo

Eric Heely, Army So. Clouis, Calif./Floyd Buchanan

Eric Motzenbecker, Army Sr. Manasquan, N.J./Wall

Sean McCarthy, Holy Cross Sr. Chelmsford, Mass./Chelmsford 2000

Ahren Reiter, Army Jr. Rock Springs, Wyo./Rock Springs

Seth Chappell, Army Jr. Anchorage, Alaska/East Anchorage

Xavier de Boissezon, Colgate Jr. Geneva, Switzerland/Blair Academy 2001

Stephen Schaefer, Bucknell Jr. Avon by the Sea, N.J./Christian Brothers Acad.

Phil Gaeta, American Fr. Herndon, Va./Oakton

Adam Patten, Army Sr. New Braunfels, Texas/Canyon

WOMEN

First Team

Name, School Yr. Hometown/High School Previous All-League Honors

Samia Akbar, American Sr. Herndon, Va./Oakton 2001

Theresa Dennis, Bucknell Sr. Wilkes-Barre, Pa./Hanover Area 2001, 2000, 1999

Jen Baclawski, American Jr. Ijamsville, Md./Urbana 2001

Keira Carlstrom, American Fr. Oakton, Va./Oakton

Ashley Urick, Army Fr. Carmel, Ind./Carmel

Nicki Piper, Bucknell Sr. Mineral Point, Pa./Central Cambria

Alexis Seefeldt, Army Jr. Mifflinburg, Pa./Mifflinburg 2001

Allison Cole, Bucknell Fr. Waterville, Maine/Waterville

Whitney McNees, American So. Pennington, N.J./Hopewell Valley Central

Rian Landers, Lafayette Sr. Spring Lake, N.J./St. Rose

Second Team

Stephanie Richardson, Army So. Rapid City, S.D./Stevens

Lia Cross, Colgate Fr. Skaneateles, N.Y./Skaneateles

Katie Pfeifer, Bucknell So. Cantonsville, Md./Cantonsville

Jamie Gow, Bucknell Fr. Brookline, N.H./Hollis-Brookline

Jill Hajec, Army Fr. Camden, Del./Caesar Rodney Sr.

Maureen Schaub, Lehigh Sr. Farmington, N.Y./Sachem

Tara Mahoney, Army Sr. Belmont, Mass./Belmont 1999

Analise Kolsch, Army Jr. Pottstown, Pa./Saint Pius X

Kayla Halloran, Bucknell Fr. Norwell, Mass./Norwell

Edann Brady, Lehigh Sr. Plattsburgh, N.Y./Seton Catholic

Men’s Cross Country Runner of the Meet: Bryan Johnson, Bucknell, senior

Women’s Cross Country Runner of the Meet: Samia Akbar, American, senior

Men’s Cross Country Coach of the Year: Matt Centrowitz

Women’s Cross Country Coach of the Year: Matt Centrowitz