Photo Courtesy : Richmond Athletics

 

UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. - The University of Richmond men’s and women's cross country and track & field teams will welcome a decorated class of 14 student-athletes to campus this fall to continue their academic and athletic careers. The Spiders' incoming class will allow the programs to continue their standard of excellence at both the conference and national levels.

"Once again, we are pleased to welcome a talented group of athletes to our program” said Director of Track & Field and Cross Country, Lori Taylor. “These student-athletes cover several event areas within our track & field and cross country teams. We expect many of these athletes to impact our team immediately. There is no question talent is one of the key factors in success at the NCAA level, but it will also require leadership combined with hard work and dedication on the part of these women and men in order for our teams to achieve the goals we've set. The weeks, months and years to come will determine where this class will end up and what they can accomplish. The mark they leave here at UR and beyond is yet to be determined, and our staff looks forward to guiding them as we continue to build upon the momentum our alumni established."

"Our goal is to produce a winning team each and every year” said Men’s Coach, Steve Taylor. “This includes women’s track & field and men’s and women’s cross country All-Americans in addition to achieving success in the classroom. We excitedly look to the future as both our men's and women's teams look to achieve their 15th-consecutive NCAA All-Academic Team honors. Each year our teams look to the A-10 Conference Championships and NCAA Championships as their benchmark. We believe this group of recruits realize all the benefits of attending the University of Richmond to further their academic and athletic careers. We are pleased and excited by the achievements of this year's incoming class and look for them to continue the advancement of our program in achieving our goals along with helping attract future men and women to our program."

Class of 2020 Recruits

WOMEN

Maria Acosta
Maywood, N.J. (Paramus Catholic)
Long sprints and middle-distance standout from Paramus Catholic HS in New Jersey. 2016 Non-Public A State Champion in the 800m. Finished third at the 2016 N.J. Meet of Champions in the 800m. Ranked second in the 800m and third in the 400m among all N.J. seniors in 2016.

Personal Bests:
400m: 55.48
800m: 2:10.68

Claire Brown
Erie, Pa. (Villa Maria)
Five-time PIAA District 10 AA Champion in the 800m and 1600m, including four consecutive titles in the 800m (2013 - 16). Led Villa Maria to victory at the PIAA State Cross Country Championships in 2014 and 2015 by placing sixth and fourth respectively. Also earned numerous All-State honors on the track in the 800m, 1600m, and 4x800m relays.

Personal Bests:
800m: 2:13.56
1600m: 5:00.33
5k CC: 18:31.00

Morgan Towe
Suffolk, Va. (Nansemond River)
Three-time National Champion as part of Nansemond River sprint relays. Was a member of the 2016 Indoor National Champion 4x200m and 2016 Outdoor National Champion 4x100m and 4x200m relays. Also a member of the 2016 third place 4x100m and fourth place 4x400m relay teams at the prestigious Penn Relays. Also a numerous time All-State athlete in the 100m and 200m in Virginia.

Personal Bests:
55m: 7.15
100m: 11.99
200m: 24.40
300m: 40.27

Peyton McGovern
Methuen, Mass. (Phillips Academy)
Enjoyed a strong senior year in Cross Country where she helped her team win their second-consecutive New England Prep School Championship by placing second overall. Placed 21st at the Nike Cross Country Northeast Regional Championships, earning all-region honors. Also finished third at the 2015 New England Prep School Championships in the 1500m on the track.

Personal Bests:
1500m: 4:42.52
Mile: 5:00.99
3k: 10:26
5k XC: 18:16

Gabby Bowen
Marietta, Ga. (Marist)
Long sprints and middle-distance runner from Marietta, Ga. Finished top-5 in the Georgia 6A Regional Championships four times in the 400m and 800m and finished third at the 2014 GAHS State Championships in the 800m.

Personal Bests:
400m: 58.43
800m: 2:19.36

Stacey Dec
Ashburn, Va. (Stone Bridge)
Middle-distance runner from Stone Bridge HS in Virginia. Finished in the top-10 in 2015 and 2016 in the 800m at the VHSL 5A State Championships.

Personal Bests:
800m: 2:18.87

Erika Echternach
Lititz, Pa. (Warwick High)
Distance runner from Pennsylvania specializing in the distance events. Finished 11th at the 2016 PIAA District 3 AAA Championships in a personal best time of 5:12.87 for the 1600m.

Personal Bests:
1600m: 5:12.87

Bailey Gillespy
Daytona Beach, Fla. (Father Lopez High)
Competed in the High Jump, 100h, and 300h in Florida. Returned from injury for a strong senior year that saw her win the 2016 FHSAA 1A District 9 and Region 3 Champion in the High Jump, allowing her to advance to the Florida State Championships. Was named Prep Girls Track and Field Athlete of the Year by the Daytona Beach News-Journal. Plans to compete in the Heptathlon at Richmond.

Personal Bests:
High Jump: 5-4

Nai’lah Rowe
Norfolk, Va. (Norview)
Competed in the sprints while at Norview HS in Virginia. Earned numerous All-Conference honors and qualified for the 2015 VHSL State Championships in the 500m indoors where she finished ninth overall.

Personal Bests:
400m: 56.40

MEN

Will Alpaugh
Bethlehem, Pa. (Freedom High)
Three-time qualifier for the PIAA State Championships in Cross Country with a best finish of 34th overall in 2015. Qualified for the 2016 PIAA State Championships in the 1600m after placing third at the District 11 AAA Championships in a personal best time of 4:22.77.

Personal Bests:
1600m: 4:22.77
5k CC: 16:08

Miles Clikeman
North Chesterfield, Va. (Veritas School)
Won seven VISAA State Championships in Virginia, including three consecutive Cross Country titles in 2013, 2014 and 2015. Was the 2016 State champion in the 1600m and 3200m. Placed 11th at the prestigious Milestat.com XC Classic against many of the top runners from Virginia.

Personal Bests:
1600m: 4:30.41
3200m: 9:27.66
5k CC: 15:29.10

Paul Knepple
Point Pleasant, N.J. (Christian Brothers Academy)
An integral part of Christian Brothers Academy’s dominance as one of the top high school Cross Country programs in the country. Helped CBA qualify for the 2015 NXN National Championships in Cross Country as their No. 2 runner at the Northeast Regional meet where he placed 31st overall. Was also a contributing member to their victorious effort at the 2015 N.J. Meet of Champions in Cross Country.

Personal Bests:
1600m: 4:23.21
3200m: 9:28.24
5k CC: 15:52.79

Seamus Otto
Harrisonburg, Va. (Turner Ashby)
Enjoyed a tremendous senior season on the track where he was undefeated in the 1600m and the VHSL 3A State Champion in the 800m. Was the 2016 indoor and outdoor VHSL 3A West Region Champion in the 1600m as well. Qualified for the State Championships in Cross Country every year in high school with a best finish of 10th overall his junior season.

Personal Bests:
800m: 1:58.53
1600m: 4:24.44
5k CC: 16:14

Andrew Testas
Trenton, Ohio (Edgewood High)
Won his first 10 Cross Country races during his senior season en route to qualifying for the Ohio State Championships for the first time. Continued his strong improvement on the track where he ran a 7-second personal best in the 1600m and a 15-second personal best in the 3200m during his senior season.

Personal Bests:
1600m: 4:33.90
3200m: 9:30.74
5k CC: 15:54

2015-2016 Recap
The Spider women are coming off a 2015-2016 season that saw them win the Atlantic 10 Cross Country Championships on their home course, with junior Tara Hanley and sophomore Courtney Thompson each earning All-Conference honors. The women went on to finish fourth at the Indoor A10 championships behind six runner-up finishes (Long Jump, 500m, 1000m, Mile, 3k, DMR) and Courtney Thompson’s 5k victory. Outdoors, the women had six more top-3 finishes at the A-10 Championships (Long Jump, 200m, 400m, 1500m, 5k, 4x800m) capped off by Jade Gregory’s victory in the 400m. Sophomore Amanda Corbosiero qualified for the NCAA East Preliminary Championships in the 1500m after winning the Colonial Relays and placing third at the prestigious Mt. Sac Relays in California during the season.

The Spider men had two All-Conference performers during Cross Country as junior Matt McKenna and sophomore Alex Lucking each placed in the top-15 at the conference championships. The men followed up the traditional cross country season by competing at the Collegiate Running Association’s Half Marathon Championships in Norfolk, VA, where three men placed in the top-10 overall. During the spring semester the men traveled to Bend, Oregon to compete at the USA Cross Country Championships and were led by Matt McKenna’s 15th place finish – highest in Spider history. The men also competed at the Collegiate 10k Road Championships where four Spiders placed in the top-10 overall. Both the men and women were once again recognized with NCAA All-Academic Team honors as both programs earned team GPA’s greater than 3.0 for the 14th-consecutive year.

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