IUPUI WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY TEAM ANNOUNCES 2009 AWARD WINNERS
Brittney McDuffee and Ana Paez share Most Valuable Runner honors
Taylor Thomas, IUPUI Sports Information
11/22/2009 4:30:00 PM
INDIANAPOLIS -
The IUPUI women’s cross country team announced their postseason awards for the recently completed 2009 campaign. The honors were presented by Head Coach Joni Sanders at the team’s end-of-year banquet, held on Sunday inside the Campus Center.
Junior Brittney McDuffee and sophomore Ana Paez were named the women’s Co-Most Valuable Runners and third-year sophomore Alex Louden was selected Most Improved. Senior Jennie Jamicich earned the Leadership Award and freshman Rachel Zajac was named the team’s Top Newcomer. The final award went to junior Michelle Williams, who was voted the Mental Attitude Award winner by her teammates.
McDuffee ran among IUPUI's top two in all seven meets this season and was the Jags' top runner three different times. Her best time of the season came at the Dayton Flyer 5K challenge on Sep. 5 where she covered the course in 19:10. The experienced junior ran her best 6K of the season at the ISU Pre-Nationals Meet on Oct. 17 where she placed first for the Jaguars and 12th of 105 total runners. She later gained Second Team All-Summit honors by placing eighth at the championship meet.
Paez, was IUPUI’s top finisher in four of the team’s seven meets in her second season. The 5-foot-4 Paez opened the season by cracking the 19-minute barrier in the 5K at the Dayton Flyer 5K Challenge on Sept. 5, recording a time of 18:48. She capped the season by pacing the Jaguars and finishing seventh overall in the 6K at The Summit League Championships with a time of 22:46:70. Her seventh-place finish earned her First Team All-Summit honors.
Louden, who missed last season due to injury, rebounded this past season to record new personal bests in the 5K and 6K races. The Plainfield-native shed nearly a minute off her personal best 5K time as she ran a 20:31 at the Notre Dame Invitational. She also dropped more than a minute off her best 6K time at The ISU Pre-Nationals Meet when she ran a 24:34.8.
Zajac, a two-time All-Conference and All-Semistate performer at Lake Central High School, scored five times as a rookie and emerged as a consistent No. 3 runner. Her fastest 5K of the year took place at the Notre Dame Invitational where she ran No. 3 for the Jaguars and posted a time of 19:18. The 5-foot-7 freshman then covered the 6K course at The ISU Pre-Nationals Meet in a time of 23:02.3.
After a slow start due to injury, Jamicich ended the season rightfully running among the Jaguars' top five. She placed her season best at the Notre Dame Invitational when she ran a 19:59 5K. IUPUI's lone senior capped her collegiate career running No. 4 at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional meet on the challenging IU Championship Course in Bloomington.
Williams, who won the Most Improved Award last season, competed in all seven meets this season and was voted the Mental Attitude Award. The junior’s achievements included placing 20th out of 58 total runners and recording a time of 20:30.19 at the IPFW Invitational. Her season-best 6K came at The ISU Pre-Nationals Meet on Oct. 17 when she ran a time of 24:33.6.
Sanders' squad graduates just one senior from the 2009 team that finished sixth in The Summit.