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WHAT’S BRUIN: Pia Top Bruin Athlete, HM for NWC Honors; Men’s Team 10th in West
NEWBERG, Ore. – As the top runner for the George Fox University men’s cross country team in the GFU Invitational on Oct. 13, Joseph Pia has been named the Bruin Men’s Athlete of the Week as well as receiving honorable mention for the Northwest Conference Men’s Cross Country Student-Athlete of the Week for Oct. 8-14.
Pia, a junior from Newberg, Ore., posted a time of 26:26.3 on the 8K course at Fernhill Park in Portland, Ore., finishing 13th overall and 11th for team scoring. As a team, the Bruins placed sixth out of six teams, competing against runners from athletic scholarship-granting schools and community colleges. It was his fourth time to finish as the Bruins’ top runner in as many races this fall.
This was Pia’s third time to earn Bruin Athlete of the Week honors, having also captured the award for Aug. 27-Sept. 2 and Sept. 3-9. He has been honorable mention for NWC honors four times this season.
The George Fox University Bruin Athlete of the Week Award for both men and women is presented throughout the sports seasons to recognize and honor outstanding athletic achievements and records by Bruin student-athletes.
2012-13 George Fox Bruin Men’s Athletes of the Week
Aug. 27-Sept. 2 - Joseph Pia (Cross Country)
Sept. 3-9 - Joseph Pia (Cross Country)
Sept. 17-23 - Chris Lilley (Tennis)
Sept. 24-30 - Chris Lumsden (Golf)
Oct. 1-7 – Luke Hammer (Soccer), Chris Lumsden (Golf)
Oct. 8-14 - Joseph Pia (Cross Country)
* 2012 HONORS
Joseph Pia
- Northwest Conference Men’s Student-Athlete of the Week - Aug. 27-Sept. 2 (HM); Sept. 3-9 (HM); Sept. 24-30 (HM); Oct. 8-14 (HM)
- Bruin Men’s Athlete of the Week - Aug. 27-Sept. 2; Sept. 3-9; Oct. 8-14
Courtney Hochstetler
- Northwest Conference Women’s Student-Athlete of the Week - Aug. 27-Sept. 2 (HM)
- Bruin Women’s Athlete of the Week - Aug. 27-Sept. 2
Kelsey Prentice
- Northwest Conference Women’s Student-Athlete of the Week - Sept. 3-9
- Bruin Women’s Athlete of the Week - Sept. 3-9
* RANKINGS: Following a sixth-place finish in the George Fox Invitational 8K race on Oct. 13 at Fernhill Park in Portland, Ore., the Bruin men’s team slipped one spot from 9th to 10th in the NCAA Division III West Region rankings,the sixth of the season, as compiled by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. Since moving into the regional top 10 the first week of the regular season, the Bruins have hovered between 8th and 10th every week. The Bruin women appeared in the regional rankings at 10th for a couple of weeks but have since slipped out.
The top men’s team in the West Region is Claermont-Mudd-Scripps, followd by Pomona-Pitzer, Willamette, Puget Sound, Whitworth, Colorado College, La Verne, California-Santa Cruz, and Lewis & Clark. Claremont is also the women’s top team in the West.
Complete rankings for all eight regions may be found on the USTFCCCA web site at http://www.ustfccca.org/2012/10/featured/diii-regional-cross-country-rankings-2012-week-6.
In the national rankings, Haverford replaced North Central (Ill.) as the top men’s team for the first time in 24 weeks of polling, while Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is the No. 1 women’s team. The complete national rankings may be found on the USTFCCCA web site at http://www.ustfccca.org/2012/10/featured/haverford-breaks-the-streak-in-diii-as-new-nationally-top-ranked-team.
* COMING UP: George Fox will close out the regular season in the Northwest Conference Championships on Saturday, Oct. 27, hosted by Pacific University at the Sunset Grove Golf Course in Forest Grove, Ore. The first race will begin at 11:00 a.m. The men’s race will be an 8K, the women’s a 6K ... The NCAA Division III West Regionals are set for Saturday, Nov. 10, hosted by Willamette University at the Oak Knoll Golf Course in Independence, Ore. The men’s 8K race begins at 11:00 a.m., with the women’s 6K race set for 12:00 noon ... The NCAA Division III National Championships will be held on Saturday, Nov. 17, hosted by the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology at the LaVern Gibson Course in Terre Haute, Ind.
* COACH RANDY DALZELL: Randy Dalzell (Columbia Christian ’87) is in his 1st year at George Fox as the head men’s and women’s cross country coach, with additional duties as an assistant coach for men’s and women’s track. Prior to coming to George Fox, he spent seven years at Concordia University-Portland (2005-12), where he led the Cavaliers to fifteen Cascade Collegiate Conference titles, winning seven in a row in men's track & field, six in women's track & field, one in women’s cross country, and one in men's cross country, as well as the regional title in men's cross country in 2006. In 2011, the women’s outdoor track and field team won the NAIA National Championship. Click here for the complete bio on Coach Dalzell.
