Emory's Men's Cross Country Team Announces 2008 Award Winners

The Emory University men's cross country team has announced the program's award winners for the 2008 season.

Junior Charles Meade (Wellesley, MA) was named the Most Valuable Runner, capping off an excellent campaign that saw him become the school's first male All-American runner since 2003.  Meade earned that distinction following an 18th-place finish out of 278 entries at the NCAA Championships, covering the 8K course in a personal-best time of 24:49.  Meade ranked as the Eagles' top performer in five of seven events including a fourth-place showing out of 152 runners at the NCCA South/Southeast Regional Championships.

Juniors Greg Decker (Rockville, MD) and Alex Robin (Evanston, IL) shared the Most Improved Runner Award after emerging as key contributors to this year's team.  Decker finished among the squad's top five runners in five of seven competitions and brought home all-region honors following a 34th-place effort at the South/Southeast Regional Championships.  Robin recorded top-five team finishes in six of seven events and topped all Eagles while coming in third overall out of 77 hopefuls at the Vanderbilt Invitational.

Senior Nate Ennist (Bethesda, MD) received the Coach's Award, symbolic of dedication, leadership and inspiration.  Ennist was a point scorer for the Eagles in five of eight competitions and landed all-region honors with a 22nd-place finish out of 152 runners at the NCAA South/Southeast Regional Championships.

Freshman Tim Halinski (Alpharetta, GA) was chosen as the Rookie of The Year after competing in five meets.