Inaugural NJCAA DIII Cross Country Post-Season Awards Announced

NEW ORLEANS — The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) announced season-end award winners in cross country representing National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division III. These are the first NJCAA Division III cross country awards in USTFCCCA history.

MORE: NJCAA DIII Championships Recap

USTFCCCA NJCAA Division III National Award Winners

Based on results of the NJCAA Division III Championships held November 7 in Holyoke, Mass., the following earned USTFCCCA national awards.

MEN’S ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

Zakaria Djouma, Mohawk Valley CC
Djouma, a freshman from Utica, N.Y., finished the season undefeated and won the NJCAA Division III title by over 53 seconds ahead of the nearest competition in 26:15.1 (five miles). He won the NJCAA Region III title earlier in the season by one minute, 40 seconds over runner-up and teammate Tyler Beattie.

MEN’S COACH OF THE YEAR

James Macnider, Harper

Macnider is now five-for-five: Five years at the helm at Harper, five national titles. Paced by sophomore Will Troman’s third-place showing, the Hawks took the crown in Holyoke with 49 points, 24 ahead of nearest finisher Mohawk Valley CC. Earlier in the season, among Division III only squads, Harper swept the top five spots at the NJCAA Region IV meet to win with 15 points.

WOMEN’S ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

Meseret Hart, Northampton CC
Hart, a freshman from Coopersburg, Pa., won her school’s first national crown in the sport as she took the tape after 6k in 18:43.3, the third-fastest time in championships history. She won over Harper’s Ali Gutt by nearly 17 seconds to finish the season undefeated. Earlier in the season, she won the NJCAA Region XIX title in a personal-best time of 18:16, outdistancing a field of 67 to capture the program’s first-ever region cross country title.

WOMEN’S COACH OF THE YEAR

Matthew French, Suffolk County CC
French, in his second year with the program, led the Sharks to the national title with 64 points, 23 ahead of runner-up Harper. Suffolk County, headed by freshman Ryleigh Donegan’s fifth-place finish, won its second national title and first since 2007.

USTFCCCA NJCAA Division III Region Award Winners

The following were selected as award winners by coaches in each region. Winners were honored at the pre-championships banquet on November 6.

MEN’S ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

CENTRAL REGION – Will Troman, Harper
Troman claimed the overall all-division title at the NJCAA Region IV championship, placing a second ahead of runner-up Joshua Robinson of DI Waubonsee.

EAST REGION – Martin Maldonado, Rowan-Gloucester CC
Maldonado won the NJCAA Region 19 title in 26:59.

NORTHEAST REGION – Zakaria Djouma, Mohawk Valley CC
Djouma, a freshman from Utica, N.Y., went undefeated this season and won the NJCAA Region III title by one minute, 40 seconds over runner-up and teammate Tyler Beattie.

MEN’S COACH OF THE YEAR

CENTRAL REGION – James Macnider, Harper
Among Division III only squads, Harper swept the top five spots at the NJCAA Region IV meet to win with 15 points.

EAST REGION – Steve Mussleman, Howard CC
Mussleman’s Dragons won the NJCAA Region XX and Maryland JUCO conference title while placing three on the All-Region team.

NORTHEAST REGION – Gary Parker, Mohawk Valley CC
Parker led his squad to the NJCAA Region III title, placing five in the top 10, to score just 23 points, 56 ahead of nearest challenger Broome CC.

WOMEN’S ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

CENTRAL REGION – Meseret Hart, Northhampton CC
Hart, a freshman from Coopersburg, Pa., won the NJCAA Region XIX title in a personal-best time of 18:16, outdistancing a field of 67 to capture the program’s first-ever cross country title. Hart is undefeated this season.

EAST REGION – Margaret Niland, Howard CC
Niland, a freshman from Laurel, Md., was the region and conference winner, clocking a 20:08 in the championship 5k to lead her Dragons to a second-place team showing.

NORTHEAST REGION – Ryleigh Donegan, Suffolk County CC
Donegan, a freshman, won the NJCAA Region XV individual title with a20:39.1 run to lead the Sharks to a team crown.

WOMEN’S COACH OF THE YEAR

CENTRAL REGION – James Macnider, Harper
The defending national champion Hawks, coached by Macnider, won the NJCAA Region IV Championship at home, defeating nine other teams despite persistent rain and sloppy course conditions. The team scored just 42 points in taking the title ahead of many Division I teams.

EAST REGION – Ed Baynes, Ocean County
Baynes’ Vikings earned the NJCAA Region XIX title, placing three runners in the top six to top all Division I and Division III teams in the competition.

NORTHEAST REGION – Matthew French, Suffolk County CC
French led the Sharks to the NJCAA Region XV title and his team is ranked No. 1 in the country.

USTFCCCA NJCAA Division III All-America

The following list are the student-athletes that earned All-America honors from the USTFCCCA based on a top-15 finish at the NJCAA Division III Championships. Harper led all men’s programs with four honorees while Suffolk County CC and Ocean County had the most among women’s programs with three.

MEN

WOMEN