05/06/2024
The Athletics Department announced the Men's and Women's Cross Country team award winners on Friday, May 3.
Even though this page has been quiet with little interaction lately, Meghan and the Sorbera family are still in our thoughts.
2023 Men's and Women's Cross Country team under the direction of Robert Krug.
The Women's Cross Country team relied on veteran leadership this fall. A pair of graduate students, Abigail Dent and Maddie Fusco, extended their athletic career and used their Covid season to propel the program at the end of the season. Maddie Fusco dominated the fall setting new program records and joined Avery Cusack as repeat All-Conference runners. Hilbert secured a third-place finish at the AMCC Championship race and Fusco continued competing at the regional level.
Coaches Award: Madeleine Cook. Maddie was a leader on the women's team. She is a positive role model to many of the runners as they looked to her for words of wisdom. Maddie also had two top 15 finishes for the Hawks and finished 21st at the AMCC Championship race.
Most Improved Runner: Abigail Dent. Abby made a jump her final season and it was obvious. She made big improvements in both her 5K and 6K times to help the women's team finish third in the AMCC Championship race. Abby also earned the Meghan Sorbera Award at the Meghan Memorial race in September.
Most Valuable Runner: Maddie Fusco. Madie followed up her outstanding first year by getting even better in her second collegiate season this fall. The senior broke both the 5K and 6K Hilbert records this year and earned a spot on the 2023 All-Conference team after garnering the same result in 2022. Maddie took a third-place finish at the 6K AMCC Championship race in Buffalo and then sprinted to her career-best 6K (23:31.2) at the NCAA Mideast Regional race.
The Men's Cross Country team benefited from veteran leadership to propel them as the fall season progressed. Graduate student Kody Harrison and upperclassmen led the charge as they pushed to the AMCC Championship race at Delaware Park late in the season. Nick Baritot shattered the program's 5K and 8K records as he also became the first Hilbert Men's harrier to earn All-Conference honors. The Men's team placed third at the AMCC Championship and five Hawks extended their season with a very competitive run at the NCAA Mideast Regional race hosted by Houghton University.
Coaches Award: Kenneth Trometer. Kenny has always been an extremely positive person and this year was no different. He continued to lighten the mood on the team even though he is a serious runner. He always trained hard but found ways to lift the morale of the team on long runs. Kenny extended his leadership role this year by serving as the SAAC President
Most Improved Runner: Josh Kidder. Josh had a tremendous fall cross country season. He turned in a top 10 all-time season in Hilbert's history, becoming one of just a handful of Hilbert men who broke a 30-minutes in the 8K race (29:56). Josh finished in 19th place in the AMCC Championship Race, and we are looking forward to him being a leader on the team next year.
Most Valuable Runner: Nick Baritot. Nick ran the best season of any men's runner in Hilbert College Cross Country history. He broke both the 5K and 8K records running a 17:16 and a 28:14.7 respectively. Nick finished 5th overall in the Meghan Memorial race and 2nd overall at the Mount Aloysius Invite. He became the very first AMCC All-Conference runner.
