Keene State recives three major LEC cross country awards

NORTH DARTMOUTH, MASS. 1/25/11 –Keene State College earned three major honors this afternoon when the Little East Conference office announced its annual cross country awards for the 2010 season. Owl senior Eric MacKnight (Newtown, Conn.) and junior Paige Mills (Keene, N.H.) were named men's and women's Runner of the Year and Peter Thomas was tabbed as the women's Coach of the Year after a vote by the six conference coaches. 

MacKnight is the first Owl student-athlete to earn the prestigious top runner award since the Little East began sponsoring the accolade in 2007. The Newtown, Conn. product was just one of two runners from the conference to receive an at-large invitation into the 2010 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championship race at Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa. MacKnight covered the 8-kilometer course in a time of 25 minutes, 24 seconds to finish 91st in the national standings. He represented Keene State on the All-New England squad after crossing the finish line at 25 minutes, 57.4 seconds at the NCAA New England Regional Championship. MacKnight paced Keene State in five out of the six races he participated in during his swan song season. He captured the individual title at the 2010 Little East Cross Country Championship to help the Owls regain the team trophy for the first time since 2008. MacKnight also placed second overall in the New England Alliance individual standings. He posted his fastest time on an 8K course at the New England Open Championships, tripping the timer at 25 minutes, 17 seconds to finish in 23rd place. MacKnight also penned the UMass Dartmouth individual championship into his ledger.
         

Mills became the eight All-American in Keene State women's cross country program history this past Fall, and first since Jennifer Adams in 2007. The product of Keene, N.H. was just one of two Little East student-athletes to compete at the 2010 NCAA Division III Women's Cross Country Championship at Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa. She covered the six-kilometer course in a time of 21 minutes, 18 seconds to place fifth overall in the national individual standings. Mills qualified for an at-large berth into the national championship after placing second in the NCAA Northeast Regional Championship (21:49.7). She established a new course record at Moore State Park—site of the 2010 New England Alliance and Little East Championships, crossing the finish line with a winning time of 18 minutes, six seconds. Mills earned All-Alliance and All-Little East honors for her performance on the traditionally grueling course. She also was the first runner to cross the finish line at the UMass Dartmouth Invitational and Keene State College Invitational. 
         

Thomas is receiving the top mentor award for the third straight season after leading Keene State to the program's 11th consecutive conference championship. The Owls' featured a deep and talented squad as each of their five runners placed inside of the top-eight of the individual standings, including earning the top three times. Keene State posted the sixth lowest team point total (19) in the history of the Little East Championship en route to defeating its closest competition by 63 points. Under his watchful eye, Thomas helped the Owls' earn two at-large berths into the 2010 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championship. The junior tandem of Paige Mills and Andrea Walsh represented Keene State in the national field. He also mentored five student-athletes on the 2010 All-Little East Academic Teams.