Pia Named Bruin Athlete of the Week for 4th Time; NCAA West Regionals Set for Nov. 10
NEWBERG, Ore. – Continuing his outstanding cross country season, George Fox University runner Joseph Pia earned First Team All-Northwest Conference honors at the NWC Championships on Oct. 27, resulting in his being named the Bruin Men’s Athlete of the Week for the week of Oct. 22-28, his fourth such award this fall.
Pia, a junior from Newberg, Ore., ran a tme of 26:29 in the NWC Men’s 8K Championship race at the Sunset Grove Golf Course in Forest Grove, Ore., placing fifth overall and for team scoring. In doing so, he became the first All-Conference men’s runner for George Fox since Jake Moe finished fifth in 2006 (the top seven finishers earn First Team honors, while Second Team is awarded to runners 8-14). His effort led the Bruins to 128 team points and a fifth-place finish out of nine conference teams, a four-place improvement for them over the year before. It was also the fifth time in as many races this fall that he has been the Bruins’ top finisher.
Previously, Pia earned Bruin Athlete of the Week honors for Aug. 27-Sept. 2, Sept. 3-9, and Oct. 8-14. He has also been honorable mention for the Northwest Confernce Men’s Cross Country Student-Athlete of the Week award 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)
Oct. 15-21 - Chris Lumsden (Golf)
Oct. 22-28 - Joseph Pia (Cross Country)
* 2012 CROSS COUNTRY 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; Oct. 22-28
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 their fifth-place finish in Northwest Conference Men’s 8K Championship on Oct. 27 at the Sunset Grove Golf Course in Forest Grove, Ore., the Bruin men’s team remained 10th in the NCAA Division III West Region rankings 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 since. The Bruin women appeared in the regional rankings at 10th for a couple of weeks but have since slipped out.
The West Region top ten, and top contenders for nxt week’s NCAA Division III West Regionals, are No. 1 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, followd by Willamette, Pomona-Pitzer, Lewis & Clark, Puget Sound, La Verne, Colorado College, Whitworth, California-Santa Cruz, and George Fox.
Complete rankings for all eight regions, both men and women, may be found on the USTFCCCA website at http://www.ustfccca.org/2012/10/featured/diii-regional-cross-country-rankings-2012-week-7-pre-regional.
In the national rankings, Haverford in the men’s division and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the women’s division are the No. 1 teams. Complete national rankings may be found on the USTFCCCA website at http://www.ustfccca.org/2012/10/featured/haverford-mit-hold-their-ground-in-latest-diii-national-cross-country-poll.
* COMING UP: George Fox will send both the men’s and women’s teams to the NCAA Division III West Regionals on 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.