TOLEDO, OH - Kevin Hadsell, the director of the track and field and cross country programs at Toledo, has announced the 2009 cross country award winners for the Rockets, which were presented at the team's banquet earlier this week.

On the women's side, sophomore Ari Fisher (Lebanon, OH) won both the MVP and Most Improved honors. Fisher was the MAC Champion this year, crossing the line in a time of 22:18.8. She followed that with a ninth-place effort at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional meet, which earned her All-Region accolades and a berth to run at the NCAA Championships. At the Championships, Fisher finished 43rd, just missing All-American recognition in her first season running on the varsity team at Toledo. She was the team's top runner in every meet in which she competed this season.

Meanwhile, freshman Sam Condron (Miamisburg, OH) earned the Hadsell Harrier award, which goes to the runner whom Hadsell feels leads the lifestyle necessary to be a great runner. Condron competed in three events this fall, and she recorded 19th-place showings in both the Colonial Inter-Regional Challenge and the Eastern Michigan Open.

For the men, junior Elisha Kipchumba (Nairobi, Kenya) earned the team's MVP award. Kipchumba was the top Rocket finisher in five of the six meets in which he competed. He won the dual meet against Bowling Green to start the season, took fourth at the Mel Brodt Invitational and recorded a 26th-place effort at the MAC Championships.

Sophomore David Herrett (Westerville, OH) earned the team's Most Improved award. He ran in six of the team's seven competitions, highlighted by a fourth-place performance at the BG dual and taking 19th at the Mel Brodt Invitational.

Junior captain Chris Wall (Centerville, OH) earned the Hadsell Harrier award. He took second at the BG dual, seventh at the Mel Brodt Invitational, and led the Rockets by finishing 40th at the Great Lakes Regional.

The women's team had a season to remember, claiming victories in the dual meet against Bowling Green and at the Colonial Inter-Regional Challenge while finishing as the MAC runner-up. Toledo closed out the decade with its fifth top-two performance at the MACs and in November matched its best-ever showing at the Great Lakes Regional with a sixth-place effort.

The Rockets received votes in the national polls for three straight weeks during the season, reaching as high as 32nd. Toledo was also ranked fourth in the Great Lakes Region for several weeks and finished sixth in the final poll, the highest-ranked mid-major program.

The men also had a strong season, winning the dual meet against Bowling Green, taking second at the Mel Brodt Invitational and fourth out of 39 teams at the Lakefront Invitational. The Rockets finished seventh at the MAC Championships and 18th at the Great Lakes Regional.

Contact: Scott Miles
scott.miles@utoledo.edu