Spider Cross Country & Track and Field Programs Announce Team Awards

Spider Cross Country & Track and Field Programs Announce Team Awards

08/10/2021 | Cross Country, Women's Track & Field

Richmond, Va. – University of Richmond Director of Track & Field/Head Women's Cross Country Coach Lori Taylor, along with Head Men's Cross Country Coach Steve Taylor, are proud to announce the 2020-21 Richmond Cross Country & Track and Field Athletes of the Year.

"It's a pleasure to work with motivated and dedicated student-athletes," Lori Taylor said. "We're fortunate to have incredible young people in our program who never settle for anything except achieving their best. As coaches we challenge our men and women to test their limits and this group has done that on a daily basis."

"These men and women achieved many outstanding performances on the course and track," Steve Taylor said. "And maybe even more impressive is what they achieved outside the field of competition. They adapted to change brought by a global pandemic and didn't let those changes impact their focus on becoming the best and leading our programs to individual and team titles."

Representing men's cross country, Peter Borger (Malvern, Pa.) and Stuart Terrill (Crozet, Va.) have been selected as the Male Athlete and Rookie of the Year, respectively.

Borger was a huge part of the Spiders 2021 Spring Atlantic 10 Championship title, finishing third at Pole Green Park with a time of 24:36.9. He also collected Academic All-Atlantic 10 and USTFCCCA All-Academic Athlete honors.

In his first season with the Spiders, Terrill got off to a blazing start. After winning his first collegiate race, he wrapped up the season with a second-place finish at the Atlantic 10 Championship (24:31.3) collecting Most Outstanding Rookie Performer as he helped the Spiders to the title. He also collected A-10 Rookie of the Week, A-10 All-Rookie Team, and Freshman All-Atlantic 10 accolades as well as USTFCCCA All-Academic Athlete honors.

Rocky Hill, Conn., native Elizabeth Stockman has been selected as the women's cross country Athlete and Rookie of the Year. Stockman opened her collegiate running career earning two Atlantic 10 Rookie Performer of the Week honors after finishing third and fifth in her first two races. She earned the Atlantic 10's Most Outstanding Rookie Performer at the Conference Championship meet after finishing eighth with a time of 17:38.4. She also collected Freshman All-Atlantic 10 honors.

In women's track and field, Brooke Fazio (Basking Ridge, NJ) has been named Indoor and Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year while Kayla Woods (Wilmington, Del.) has been named Indoor and Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year. Kayla O'Connell (Marshfield, Mass.) was selected as Outdoor Track Rookie of the Year.

In a tremendous year, Fazio earned USTFCCCA All-America accolades competing in the 800m at the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships. She collected a 10^th-place finish at the NCAA Indoor Championships (2:07.62) and finished eighth at the NCAA Outdoor Championship with a time of 2:02.97, just shy of qualifying for the Olympic trials. She also helped the Spiders to a fourth-place finish at the Atlantic 10 Outdoor Championship, winning the 800m and served as the anchor leg in the first-place 4x400 which set a program record of 3:41.75, splitting 52.86. She teamed up with Maria Acosta, Kayla O'Connell and Kendra Smither to win the Tennessee Relays 4X800M in a program record 8:39.88 which ranked as the second-best time in the NCAA in 2021

Woods opened the indoor season with back-to-back first place finishes in the long jump, including a personal best distance of 5.97m in the second meet of the season. In the outdoor season, she won the A-10 title in the long jump, posting a personal best and UR program record distance of 6.21m to qualify for the NCAA East Prelims. She also helped the Spiders win the Atlantic 10 Conference 4x400 relay as the lead leg of the UR program record time of 3:41.75. At the NCAA East Prelims, Woods turned in a distance of 5.91m.

In her first outdoor season, O'Connell fell right in step with the Spiders' strong middle distance runners. She finished third in the 800m at the Colonial Relays (2:08.38) and fourth at the Tennessee Relays with a personal best 2:07.03. She teamed up with Fazio, Maria Acosta and Kendra Smither to win the Tennessee Relays 4X800M in a program record 8:39.88 which ranked as the second-best time in the NCAA in 2021. At the Atlantic 10 Championship, she finished fourth overall (2:07.34) in the 800m and helped the 4x800m relay team to a first-place finish as the anchor leg (2:11.42). She finished the season with a time of 2:10.86 in the 800m at the NCAA East Prelims.

A 2021 Spring Season Recap in bullet points:

Both the Men's and Women's Cross Country programs earned 2020 NCAA All-Academic Team Honors (cumulative GPA above 3.0) for the 19^th consecutive year
Women's Track & Field program earned 2021 NCAA All-Academic Team Honors (cumulative GPA above 3.0) for the 19^th consecutive year
Peter Borger and Stuart Terrill were named to the NCAA All-Academic Individual Team for cross country (minimum cumulative GPA above 3.25)
Maria Acosta, Brooke Fazio, Rachel Helbling, Kayla O'Connell and Kayla Woods were named to the NCAA All-Academic Individual Team for track & field (minimum cumulative GPA above 3.25)
Peter Borger earned a spot on the Atlantic 10 Men's Cross Country Academic All-Conference Team
Rachel Helbling (400M-53.58) was named to the Atlantic 10 Women's Track & Field All-Academic Team
38 cross country and track & field student-athletes earned a spot on the Atlantic 10 Commissioner's Honor Roll (Cumulative GPA above 3.0)- women's cross country/track & field (26) and men's cross country (12)
Men's Cross Country won the Atlantic 10 Conference Championship with 4 men in the top 10 earning Atlantic 10 All-Conference honors with a team average of 24:47 for the 5 mile course
Stuart Terrill (2^nd in A10XC Championship) and Elizabeth Stockman (8^th in A10XC Championship) were named male and female Atlantic 10 Cross Country Rookie of the Year respectively.
Four Spiders (Stuart Terrill, Elizabeth Stockman, Manon Stephen and Madison Trippett) were named to the Atlantic 10 Conference Cross Country All-Rookie team
Kamryn Ross (13.73-100H-2^nd A10 Championships), Kayla O'Connell (2:07.03-800M) and Elizabeth Stockman (4:26.96-1500M-2^nd A10 Championships/16:53.76-5K) collected Atlantic 10 Outdoor Track & Field All-Rookie team honors.
Brooke Fazio earned her 2^nd and 3^rd All-America honor placing 10^th in the NCAA Indoor Championships and 8^th in the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Her indoor 800M qualifying mark was 2:04.27 while outdoors she ran 2:02.73.
Rachel Helbling's winning time of 1:13.60 in the 500M at the GMU Winter Fiesta ranked as the NCAA #1 time this winter.
The Spiders ran the 2^nd fastest 4X800M Relay in the NCAA in 2021 with their solo effort to win the Tennessee Relays in 8:39.88. Relay members: Kendra Smither, Maria Acosta, Kayla O'Connell and Brooke Fazio
The Spiders set 5 program records during the women's track & field seasons:
- Kayla Woods - Outdoor Long Jump - 6m21M (20' 04.25")
- Kamryn Ross - Outdoor 100H - 13.73
- Brooke Fazio - Outdoor 800M - 2:02.73
- Smither, Acosta, O'Connell, Fazio - Outdoor 4X800M - 8:39.88 (No. 2 NCAA 2021)
- Woods, Helbling, Acosta, Fazio - Outdoor 4X400M - 3:41.40
Brooke Fazio was a nominee for NCAA Woman of the Year
Stuart Terrill was selected the Spider Athletics Department Newcomer of the Year
Kendra Smither earned the Spider Athletics Department Outstanding Civic Engagement Award for her work at Woodlawn Cemetery and her educational efforts in the field of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Trey Burleson earned the Lumpkin Leadership Award
Brooke Fazio was a repeat winner of the Spider Athletics Department Athlete of the Year Award
The Spiders won the ECAC 4X800M Relay Championship. Relay members: Elizabeth Stockman, Kate McAndrew, Kendra Smither, Kayla O'Connell.
The Spiders won the ECAC 4X400M Relay Championship in a program record time of 3:41.40. Relay members: Kayla Woods, Rachel Helbling, Maria Acosta, Brooke Fazio.
The Spiders won the Atlantic 10 4X800M Relay Championship. Relay members: Kendra Smither, Maria Acosta, Kate McAndrew, Kayla O'Connell.
The Spiders won the Atlantic 10 4X400M Relay Championship. Relay members: Kayla Woods, Rachel Helbling, Kamryn Ross, Brooke Fazio.
Kayla Woods won the Atlantic 10 Conference Long Jump title in a program record 6.21M (20'4.25").
Rachel Helbling won the Atlantic 10 Conference 400M title with a time of 53.58
Brooke Fazio won the Atlantic 10 Conference 800M title, and set a championship record, running 2:03.09
Jake Schindel ended the indoor season with the top ranked Atlantic 10 Conference men's 800M time with his 1:53.79