Men's Cross Country Team Announces 2010 Season Award Winners

The Sage Colleges athletic department gathered last month at Carmela’s Banquet House to bestow the program’s top awards for the 2010-2011 academic year.  Sage, which now boasts 12 varsity athletic teams that compete as an NCAA Division III member and a full-member of the Skyline Athletic Conference, handed out a Gator of the Year award as the team’s Most Valuable Player Award in each sport as well as other honors at the banquet as athletic department staff, the college’s dignitaries, families and friends gathered to salute the excellence that occurred in 2010-2011 at Sage.

Gator of the Year:      Bryan Kelly (Fr., Warwick, NY/Warwick Valley Central)

Kelly led the team in every meet as the first Sage runner to cross the finish line in the team’s first varsity season. He added a Top 20 finish in his first race at Sage and by season’s end had earned acclaim for his efforts in the classroom as well. He was named to the 2010 USTFCCCA NCAA Division III Scholar-Athlete Team as well as Sage’s Fall Scholar-Athlete Second Team for his academic excellence.

Most Improved Runner:       Christopher Nerf (Sr., Latham, NY/Shaker)

Christopher Nerf made a dramatic improvement of the course of the season for Sage. A newcomer to running, by season’s end, Nerf had shaved 16 minutes off of his five-mile time and helped the Gators also earn honors from the USTFCCCA as they were cited as a 2010 NCAA Division III Scholar-Athlete Team.