Spiders Cross Country and Track & Field Announce End-of-Year Awards

Richmond, Va. - University of Richmond cross country and track and field coaches Lori Taylor and Steve Taylor have announced the 2024 program awards.

Elizabeth Stockman and Madison Trippett swept the running awards by earning the Most Outstanding cross country, indoor track and outdoor track athlete, while Alicia Dawson claimed Most Outstanding Indoor and Outdoor Field athlete.

The Rookie of the Year honors for the women's program went to Molly Wise, Blaiklyn Clayton and Gabrielle Cummings.

Molly Wise has been named the Most Outstanding Rookie Outdoor Field performer, while Blaiklyn Clayton named Most Outstanding Rookie for indoor track. Gabrielle Cummings took home the honor for rookie outdoor track performer.

On the men's side, Jordan Bendura was named Most Outstanding athlete for cross country, while Stuart Terrill was named Most Outstanding athlete for the spring season. The men's Rookie of the Year for the cross country and spring seasons was Eric Scully.

In the classroom the Spider men and women extended their steak to 22 consecutive years of earning NCAA All-Academic Team recognition holding a cumulative grade point average above 3.0, while five women earned NCAA All-Academic individual recognition. Team members earned 39 Atlantic 10 All-Conference performances and were crowned Atlantic 10 Champion on 7 occasions. At the IC4A/ECAC Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field Championships 38 Spiders earned All-East honors and 7 IC4A/ECAC Champions were crowned.

It was a year where the Spider women set a total of eight program records including the outdoor distance medley relay (11:03.47), indoor DMR (11:10.35), 1500m (4:15.80), indoor 3,000m (9:26.32), indoor long jump (6.13m), indoor triple jump (12.57m) and outdoor triple jump (12.68m). The women's team placed as the runner-up team in the Atlantic 10 Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships, the Atlantic 10 Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships and placed as the runner-up team in the East Coast Athletic Conference (ECAC) Outdoor Track & Field Championships. The Spiders qualified athletes to the NCAA Championships in five events (long jump, triple jump, 3K Steeplechase, and two athletes in the 1500m). Additionally, three Spiders were crowned national champions with Stuart Terrill winning the Collegiate Trail Running National Championship, Jordan Bendura won the Collegiate 10k Road Race National Championship and Madison Trippett was crowned the Collegiate Road Mile National Champion following the NCAA season.

Women's Awards:

Outdoor Track & Field
Athlete of the Year – Track: Elizabeth Stockman
Elizabeth Stockman competed in the 1500m and 3K Steeplechase at the 2024 NCAA Championships East Preliminary Round. Stockman qualified for the NCAA Championships 1500m with a 4:15.80 mark at the Penn Relays as she broke the program record in the event and placed 6th at the historic meet. The following day she split 3:21.73 for the 1200M leg of the Spiders Distance Medley Relay which ran 11:03.47 to set a new program record, rank 9^th in the NCAA for the 2024 season and moved the Spiders to #25 on the NCAA Outdoor DMR All-Time Program List. She later went on to win the gold medal at the Atlantic 10 Championships in the 1500M event running 4:17.00. Her best mark in the 3K Steeplechase was set at the Atlantic 10 Outdoor Track & Field Championships as she clocked a 10:25.02 for second place. She was a member of the winning 4X800m relay (8:42.18) at the ECAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships splitting 2:07.43 for the third leg of the Spiders quartet. Following the NCAA Championships, she finished second (4:42.61) in the Collegiate Road Mile National Championships close behind teammate, Madison Trippett (4:36.31). Stockman finished the 2023-2024 season earning seven Atlantic 10 Performer of the Week honors through the cross country, indoor and outdoor seasons (x1 cross country, x2 indoor, x4 outdoor). Stockman closed the regular season nationally ranked No. 29 in the 1500m and No. 47 in the 3K Steeplechase. During the indoor season she set a program record in the 3,000m (9:26.32) and ran the 1200m leg on the Spiders distance medley relay which set a program record of 11:10.35.

Athlete of the Year – Field: Alicia Dawson
Alicia Dawson qualified for the NCAA Championships East Preliminary Round in the long jump and the triple jump. Her qualifying mark for the long jump of 6.16m (20'2.5") and the triple jump (12.68m /41'7.25") came at the ECAC Outdoor Championships as she claimed gold medals in both. Her qualifying mark in the triple jump of 12.68m shattered the Spiders fourteen-year program record which was previously set at 12.02m in 2010 by Megan Ney. For her long jump and triple jump wins, Dawson was named the Most Outstanding Performer of the 2024 ECAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships and helped the Spiders to a runner-up team finish. She ended the regular season nationally ranked No. 35 in the triple jump and No. 42 in the long jump. Jumped over 40 feet in the triple jump 12 out of 13 meets during the indoor and outdoor seasons and over 41 feet on 4 occasions.

Rookie of the Year – Track: Gabrielle Cummings
The Brooklyn, New York native earned All-East honors at the ECAC Outdoor Championships helping the Spiders win the 4x400m Relay in 3:43.02. She also earned All-Conference honors by helping the Spiders win the 4x400m relay title (3:43.76) on a busy weekend where she placed 9^th in the 100m and 200m races as well as 4^th as a member of the 4x100m relay. She set a personal best in the 200m at the Virginia Challenge of 24.75 and followed that with a 56.88 in the 400m. At the Colonial Relays she ran a personal best of 56.74 in the 400m.

Rookie of the Year – Field: Molly Wise
Molly Wise set her personal best to win the 2024 Atlantic 10 Conference Outdoor Championship in the long jump with a jump of 6.12m (20'1") and she earned All-East honors with a second-place finish 5.97M/19'7") in the ECAC Outdoor Championships behind Spider teammate Alicia Dawson. Wise kicked off her rookie outdoor season placing runner-up to teammate Alicia Dawson in the long jump at the Fred Hardy Invitational and followed that with the 5^th place finish in the NC State Raleigh Relays jumping 5.94m (19'6"). She broke the 6.00m mark at the Virginia High Performance meet placing second with a jump of 6.00m (19'8.25").

Indoor Track & Field
Athlete of the Year – Track: Madison Trippett
Madison Trippett had a great year starting with a pair of wins in the Liberty Kickoff 3k (9:36.94) and followed with a 5k win at the Virginia Tech Invitational running 16:57.78. At the Rutgers Invitational she placed 2^nd in the 3k (9:29.60) to teammate Elizabeth Stockman, and placed 4^thin the Mile (4:46.89). At Boston University's David Hemery Valentine Invitational, she ran 4:43.19 for the Mile and anchored the Spider Distance Medley Relay to second place and a program record running a top 15 NCAA mark of 11:10.35. She had an impressive Atlantic 10 Conference Indoor Championships placing runner-up in the Mile (4:51.94) and 5k (16:54.60) while leading the Spiders 4x800m relay to victory with their 8:53.60 performance.

During the outdoor season, she qualified to compete in the 1500m alongside teammate Elizabeth Stockman for the 2024 NCAA Championships East Preliminary Round. She ended the regular season ranked nationally in the event after setting her qualifying mark of 4:17.98 with the 2nd place finish at the Atlantic 10 Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Along with her 1500m qualification, Trippett had a successful run in the 5K at the Atlantic 10 Conference Championship, taking the gold medal with a personal best of 16:30.85. In section 2 of the Penn Relays 1500m, she finished 2^nd in a photo finish running 4:19.44. The following day she split 4:38.98 for the 1600M leg of the Spiders Distance Medley Relay which ran 11:03.47 to set a program record, rank 9^th in the NCAA and moved the Spiders to #25 on the NCAA Outdoor DMR All-Time Program List. She was a member of the winning 4X800m relay (8:42.18) at the ECAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships splitting 2:07.32 as the second leg for the Spiders. Following the NCAA Championships, she repeated as the Collegiate Road Mile National Champion running 4:36.31 for the mile distance at the Loudoun Street Mile in Winchester, Virginia.

Athlete of the Year – Field: Alicia Dawson
Dawson kicked off her final track & field season winning the long jump at the Liberty Kickoff (5.80m/19'0.5") but she saved her best for the championships. At the ECAC Championships held at Boston University she eanred All-East honors in the long and triple jumps where she won the long jump (6.13m/20"1.5") and claimed silver in the triple jump (12.45m/40'10.25"). She also earned Atlantic 10 All-Conference honors in the long and triple jumps placing in the runner-up position in both and eighth in the 60m dash final. During her senior year she jumped over 40 feet in the triple jump 12 out of 13 meets during the indoor and outdoor seasons and over 41 feet on 4 occassions.

Rookie of the Year – Track: Blaiklyn Clayton
The Mcdonough, Georgia freshman won the Rutgers Scarlet Knight Invitational 60m unseeded dash in 7.84 and placed 4^th in the 200m (25.08). Had her best meet of the season at the Atlantic 10 Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships where she placed 6^th in the 200m final (24.67) after setting a personal best in the prelim of 24.59. She also set a personal best in the 60m of 7.82m and earned All-Conference honors as a member of the Spiders winning 4x400m relay (3:46.20).

Cross Country

Athlete of the Year: Elizabeth Stockman
Stockman finished the 2023 cross country season earning Atlantic 10 Performer of the Week honors following her 3^rd place finish in the XC23 Open running 20:53.2 for the 6k race at Panorama Farms in Charlottesville, VA. At the Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational Gold Race, she helped the Spiders to a second-place team finish running 17:52.5 for the 5k event. The Spiders placed 3^rd at the NC State Adidas Challenge with Stockman leading the Spiders with her win among college finishers running 17:20.9 for the 5k distance. Over the entire academic year, she earned Atlantic 10 Performer of the Week honors through the cross country, indoor and outdoor seasons on 7 occasions (x1 cross country, x2 indoor, x4 outdoor). She placed 4^th in the 2023 Atlantic 10 Conference Championships helping the Spiders to a third-place team finish.

Men's Awards:

Spring Season
Athlete of the Year: Stuart Terrill
After a excellent 2023, which saw him run 14:09.44 to place 4^th at the IC4A Indoor Track & Field Championships held at Boston University, Terrill returned for a tremendous championships run in 2024. He won the 2024 IC4A Outdoor Track & Field Championships title in the 10,000m setting a George Mason Facility record of 29:26.63. After winning the 2023 Collegiate Trail Running National Championships held in Athens, Ohio he defended the title in 2024 winning the Collegiate Trail Running National Championship held at Fountainhead Regional Park in Fairfax, Virginia on May 19th. Terrill finished the trail race in a record-breaking time of 44:55, smashing the previous course record of 51:34 set in 2020, and secured the title of 2024 Collegiate Trail Running National Champion. At the 2024 Collegiate 10k Road Race National Championships in Richmond, Virginia he battled with teammate Jordan Bendura to finish in the runner-up position as the Spiders claimed the top two spots in the championships which drew over 1,600 college students from across the country.

Rookie of the Year: Eric Scully
After a successful rookie cross country season where he was named the Spiders Rookie of the Year, Eric moved to the track where he excellend during the indoor and outdoor season. He made a statement earning All-East honors in the 1500m running a personal best of 3:51.18 to win section 2 of the final at the 2024 IC4A Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Earlier in the season he ran 3:53.35 at the University of Virginia Challenge and 3:54.10 at Princeton's Larry Eliis Invitational 1500m.

During the indoor campaign he ran 4:14.36 to place 7^th in the Mile at the Rutger's Scarlet Knight Invitational in NYC's Armory and followed that performance with a 5^th place finish in the Father Diamond Invitational running a flat track Mile best of 4:16.08. As a rookie qualifier for the IC4A Indoor Track & Field Championships in the Mile he ran 4:16.52 in the prelim round.

Cross Country
Athlete of the Year: Jordan Bendura
Bendura closed a successful Spider career as the top finisher in the Atlantic 10 Conference Championships and the NCAA Southeast Region Championships where he ran 30:29.5 for the 10k distance. At the University of Virginia's XC23 College & Open he placed 11^th in a 8k best of 24:43.0 leading the Spider men to a 6^th place team finish with a team average of 25:14. At Notre Dame's Joe Piane Invitational Gold Race he helped the Spiders to an 11^th place team finish and at NC State's Adidas XC Challenge helped the Spiders to a 4^th place team finish. At the Spider Alumni Open he was the Spiders second runner helping the team to a 3^rd place finish behind UVA and Georgetown with wins over William & Mary, George Mason, American and VCU.

Following a strong cross country season he returned for an even better spring season by earning All-East honors by placing 8^th at the 2024 IC4A Indoor Track & Field Chanmpionships in the 3,000m running 8:11.92. At the Rutger's Scarlet Knight Invitational held at the NYC Armory he ran 8:13.89 for the 3,000m event to place 5^th. During the outdoor season he placed 6^th at the Colonial Relays in the 5,000m (14:21.05) and at Princeton's Larry Ellis Invitational he ran 14:17.92 for the 5,000m distance. At the 2024 Penn Relays he ran 14:23.14 in the 5,000m and followed that with a 5^th place (29:58.56) finish in the 10,000m at the 2024 IC4A Outdoor Track & Field Championships to earn All-East honors. Two of his biggest races were his win in the 2024 Collegiate 10K Road Race National Championships held in Richmond, VA where he outpaced teammate Stuart Terrill leading the Spiders to a 1-2 finish and a few weeks later where he placed 3^rd in the 2024 Collegiate Trail Running National Championship in Fairfax, Virginia.

Rookie of the Year: Eric Scully
Eric was the top Rookie finisher in each of the meets for the Spiders. At the Spider Alumni Open he was the 4^th freshman to cross the finish line in the meet and two weeks later at NC State's Adidias XC Challenge he was also the 4^th freshman to finish running 18:44.6 for the 6k event. At the prestigious Notre Dame Joe Piane Invitational he ran a personal best for 5 miles of 25:14.5 helping the Spiders to an 11^th place team finish. At the University of Virginia XC23 College & Open he was the 3^rd freshman to finish running a 8k best of 25:06.7. At the 2023 Atlantic 10 Conference Championships he ran 25:34.5 for the 8k as the 11^th rookie finisher.

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Spiders Cross Country and Track & Field Announce End-of-Year Awards

Players Mentioned

Jordan Bendura

Blaiklyn Clayton

Gabrielle Cummings

Alicia Dawson

Eric Scully

Elizabeth Stockman

Elizabeth Stockman

Stuart Terrill

Madison Trippett

Madison Trippett

Molly Wise

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