Eastern Michigan Athletics

MXC Academic All MAC 2016

Men's Cross Country Puts Six on Academic All-MAC Team

11/18/2016 11:26:00 AM | Men's XC

The Green and White had the second most honorees in the conference

MAC Release

CLEVELAND, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) - The Eastern Michigan University men's cross country team placed six student-athletes on the Academic All-Mid-American Conference Team, the league announced Friday, Nov. 18.

Bowling Green and Toledo tied for the league lead with eight honorees each, while Eastern finished third with six. A trio of schools rounded out the top-four, as Akron, Kent State, and Ohio all had five runners earn the award.

The Academic All-MAC honor is for a student-athlete who has excelled in athletics and academics. To qualify, a student-athlete must have at least a 3.20 cumulative grade point average and have participated in at least 50 percent of the contests for that particular sport. Freshmen are not eligible for the award.

Earning the honor for the Eagles were: redshirt freshman Colin Burdette (Hilliard, Ohio - Hilliard Davidson), senior John Knox (Gloversville, N.Y. - Gloversville), redshirt junior Mitch Lenneman (River Falls, Wis. - River Falls), senior Nick Raymond (Erie, Mich. - Mason), sophomore David Saporito (Warren, Mich. - Warren Mott), and redshirt freshman Austin Sargent (Cedar Spring, Mich. - Cedar Spring).

Burdette, who holds a 3.34 GPA in secondary education, ran in four meets throughout the year, highlighted by a 25th-place finish at the EMU Fall Classic, Oct. 21, in 16:08.0. The redshirt freshman also participated in the Notre Dame Invite and the Wisconsin Invite B Race, taking 141st and 70th, respectively.

Knox participated in a total of five meets, including the MAC Championships, Oct. 29, and the NCAA Great Lakes Regional, Nov. 11. Knox took home 21st at the conference championships with a time of 26:03.5, while he nabbed 56th at regionals. The senior currently maintains a perfect 4.0 GPA while studying aviation technology.

Lenneman, who holds a 3.70 GPA in accounting, ran in five meets for the Eagles throughout the season, including the MAC Championships and the NCAA Great Lakes Regional. Lenneman took 35th at the conference championships with a time of 26:28.9, while he brought home 27th at regionals.

Raymond led the Eagles throughout the season, ultimately qualifying to the NCAA Championships for the second straight year with an at-large bid after taking fifth at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional. He also won his second consecutive individual title at the MAC Championships, taking first in 25:10.0. Raymond made his season debut at the Notre Dame Invite, Sept. 30, running to a 15th-place finish in 24:01.9. In addition to being a First Team All-MAC honoree, Raymond was also named all-region, in addition to earning MAC Runner of the Week honors twice. The Erie, Mich. native maintains a 3.61 GPA while majoring in art, and was named MAC Scholar Athlete of the Week after the MAC Championships.

Saporito ran in a total of five races throughout the year, having his best finish at the Titan Invite, Sept. 10, to open the season. There, he brought home a 19th-place finish with a time of 21:35.5. He also ran at the Notre Dame Invite and the Wisconsin Invite B Race, taking 137th and 86th, respectively. The sophomore holds a 3.31 GPA with an undecided major.

Rounding out the group is Sargent, who ran in a total of five meets throughout the year. He had his best finish at the Titan Invite, where he placed 12th with a time of 21:25.8. Sargent also had a strong race at the Wisconsin Invite B Race, taking 66th in 26:48.0. He represented EMU at the MAC Championships, Oct. 29, nabbing 65th after clocking in at 27:36.8. Sargent maintains a 3.44 GPA while studying physical education.

Raymond will conclude the Eagles' season this weekend, heading to Terre Haute, Ind. for the NCAA Championships, Saturday, Nov. 19.
 
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