Cross Country Honors Its Top Performers

Cal Maritime Cross Country held its annual awards dinner and doled out some hardware to their four NAIA Scholar Athletes, MVPs, The Leadership Award Winner and more!

Cal Maritime Cross Country had four runners from the men's team earn NAIA Scholar Athlete Accolades which awarded to individuals who are a junior or senior with a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or higher. Juniors Stephen Rosenfeld, Ainsley Manlapaz, and Goody Walowit as well as Senior Jacob Jagelski all received the honor.

"I am very proud of our program," Head Coach Jeff Ward said. "Not only do we have individuals that are involved in all facets of campus life, but we have athletes who thrive in the classroom. These four individuals who received the NAIA Scholar Athlete award embody what it means to be a student athlete. We will continue to stress academic excellence within our program, and I expect Jacob, Goody, Ainsley, and Stephen to do great things in the future."

First-year athletes Seth Brown, Jacob Flores, Kevin Nguyen, Tom Clay, Thomas Drangsholt, Lauren Silva, Nicolette Lipman, and Dani Young received their athletic achievement ribbons. Senior lapel pins were handed out to five individuals who have completed their athletic eligibility or are graduating this year, including Sabrina Brown, Dani Young, Jacob Jagelski, Alfonso Gonzalez, and PJ Jaarsma. Jaarsma also received a blanket for his participation in cross country in all four years here at Cal Maritime.

This year's Most Valuable Runners were Junior Goody Walowit and Freshman Lauren Silva. Walowit finished as the top Keelhauler in every race for Cal Maritime this season. Silva finished first or second in every race for the Keelhaulers and first among Cal Maritime runners in the final two races of the year. The Coach's Awards were handed out to Junior Stephen Rosenfeld and Sabrina Brown for their commitment and positive roles with the program.

The Keelhauler Cross Country Leadership award went to Team Captain, Alfonso Gonzalez. The honor is given to an individual who demonstrates exceptional leadership skills and elevates the culture and dynamic of the program. Gonzalez joins former captains Charlie Wiswall, Alexa Magda, Sandra Franco and Paul Beck as recipients of the award.