Lock Haven, Pa. – Lock Haven’s junior Alex Monroe clinched PSAC Men’s Cross Country Athlete of the Year honors for the second consecutive season, while Shippensburg’s senior Katie Spratford earned PSAC Women’s Cross Country Athlete of the Year honors.
Edinboro’s Dominick Patrick alongside Amanda Eisman of West Chester earned their respective PSAC Freshman of the Year awards, while Steve Spence of Shippensburg’s women’s squad and Doug Watts of the Edinboro men’s team repeat as the PSAC Coaches of the Year.
Monroe, the 2010 PSAC Freshman of the Year and 2011 PSAC Athlete of the Year, won the PSAC Individual crown in addition to the NCAA Atlantic Regional title in 2012. Most recently, Monroe finished fifth at the 2012 NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships for All-America status, tabbing him as a three-time All-American. Monroe was also named the 2012 United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Atlantic Region Men’s Cross Country Athlete of the Year, marking the second straight year he’s been given the award.
Katie Spratford claimed the PSAC Women’s Cross Country
thlete of the Year title, marking the fifth consecutive season a Shippensburg athlete has earned the honor. Spratford crossed the finish line first at the 2012 PSAC Women’s Cross Country Championships in order to claim the individual crown, as well as a first-place finish at the 2012 NCAA Atlantic Regional race to lead Shippensburg to its fifth straight regional title. Spratford finished third at NCAA Nationals to earn All-America status, and is the third runner in Shippensburg history to claim three All-America finishes.
Amanda Eisman was the lone West Chester cross country athlete to earn USTFCCCA Atlantic All-Region honors for her 2012 performances during her freshman campaign. The 2012 PSAC Freshman of the Year placed 10th overall at the NCAA Atlantic Regional race, the best finish by a West Chester athlete since 2000.
Dominick Patrick from Edinboro also clinched USTFCCCA Atlantic All-Region honors alongside six of his teammates. Patrick finished 10th overall at the 2012 PSAC Championships, and helped the Fighting Scots to their 29th PSAC crown. At the NCAA Atlantic Regional race, Patrick crossed the line 11th overall to aide in Edinboro’s second consecutive men’s cross country regional championship title.
Watts has earned his 10th PSAC Men’s Coach of the Year
ward in his 44-year career as head coach of the Edinboro cross country men’s and women’s programs. At the helm of the program, Watts has guided Edinboro to its 29th PSAC Championship crown in 2012, as well as another NCAA Division II Atlantic Region title. The Fighting Scots also claimed a ninth-place finish as a team at the 2012 NCAA D-II Men’s Cross Country Championships, the school’s best finish since 2004.
For the fifth straight season, Steve Spence was named the PSAC Women’s Cross Country Coach of the Year after guiding Shippensburg to its fifth straight PSAC and NCAA Atlantic Regional title. The USTFCCCA Atlantic Region Coach of the Year led the Lady Raiders to its fourth top 10 national championship finish in the last five years, as Shippensburg clinched seventh at the 2012 NCAA D-II Women’s Cross Country Championships.
PSAC Men’s Cross Country Athlete of the Year
Alex Monroe, Lock Haven (Lewistown / Indian Valley)
PSAC Men’s Cross Country Freshman of the Year
Dominick Patrick, Edinboro (Vero Beach, Fla. / Vero Beach)
PSAC Men’s Cross Country Coach of the Year
Doug Watts, Edinboro
PSAC Women’s Cross Country Athlete of the Year
Katie Spratford, Shippensburg (Califon, N.J. / Voorhees)
PSAC Women’s Cross Country Freshman of the Year
Amanda Eisman, West Chester (West Chester / Henderson)
PSAC Women’s Cross Country Coach of the Year
Steve Spence, Shippensburg