Friday, December 5, 2008

Awards Banquet



Over 50 teammates, family members, and friends attended last night's Cross Country Awards Banquet. Receiving the Cougar Awards, voted by their teammates for work ethic, leadership, and total impact on the team, were Sophomore Billy Miller and Freshman Alyssa Imig. The Golden Shoe Award, for personality, camaraderie, and enthusiasm, went to Olivia Coker (pictured). The Coaches Award was given to Brittany Carius, who became the first NJCAA All-American for an ICC cross country team.
Besides all the good food, the highlight of the evening was the viewing of a DVD prepared by Brittany using photos taken thoughout the season and video taken by her Dad. It was choreographed nicely with music and deserves an Academy Award!
A special thanks to all the parents and family members that followed the team throughout the season - all the way to South Carolina in many cases. It was a year with many firsts - the first time we had an All-American, the first time we had eight male runners under 29:00, and the first time four different women had broken into the list of top 10 times ever. With only one sophomore woman and 3 sophomore men on the team, expectations are high for next year, when nationals will be hosted by ICC at Newman Golf Course in Peoria.