Kreutzer, Kiprop Named PBC Runners of the Year

MILLEDGEVILLE, GA -- Clayton State’s Allison Kreutzer and Francis Marion’s Hillary Kiprop were named the PBC Runners of the Year at a banquet in Milledgeville, site of the 2008 PBC Championships. Augusta State’s Adam Ward was also recognized as the women’s Coach of the Year while Clayton State’s Mike Mead was the men’s Coach of the Year. This is the first time that the runner of the year award has been presented prior to the championship race and voted on by the league’s head coaches. In prior years the award went to the winner of Saturday’s race.

Kreutzer becomes only the fourth woman to earn the PBC Runner of the Year award twice in her career. A senior from Lilburn, Ga., Kreutzer also received the award in 2004 as a freshman. Now a senior and an All-American, she has turned in a remarkable season in 2008, winning all five races that she ran in. A two-time All-American, Kreutzer has been named the PBC Runner of the Week four times this season and has the fastest 5k time in the conference this year. Her five wins in one season is the first time that has happened in the PBC since 1999 and gives her a conference-record 14 wins in her career. With her win in 2004 and Angela Cobb’s in 2006, Clayton State runners have captured the women’s Runner of the Year title in three of the last five years.

In contrast, Kiprop is the first Francis Marion runner to win the male Runner of the Year award since David McIntosh in 1992. A junior from Eldoret, Kenya, Kiprop has been FMU’s top finisher in all five meets this fall. He captured the individual title at both the Limestone Invitational and the Presbyterian Collegiate Invitational; was the runner-up at both the PBC Pre-Conference Meet (by one second) and the WU Pre-Conference Meet (by 17 seconds); and placed 13th at the (NC State) Wolfpack Invitational – although he was the first non D-1 finisher. He has been named the Peach Belt Conference Runner of the Week three times this year and has lost to only two Division II runners in the five meets.

Adam Ward becomes only the second women’s coach to claim the Coach of the Year award for three straight years. Prior to his arrival at Augusta State in 2004, the Jaguars had finished last in the PBC for three straight years, but after a third-place in 2006 and a second-place in 2007, Ward has the Jaguars in strong contention for a championship this season. ASU has won three of their five meets in 2008 and finished second at the PBC Pre-Conference meet and 10th of 29 teams at the prostigious NCAA Pre-National race in Pennsylvania. ASU is currently ranked second in the southeast region.

Mike Mead wins his third PBC Coach of the Year award in his 14th season as the Lakers head coach. After finishing second in the PBC in 2007, Mead has the Lakers in position to win a championship this year after winning the Wingate and Anderson Invitationals and finishing second in their other three meets. Mead has assembled one of the deepest teams in the PBC with both Fidelis Mutiso and Anthony Aguilar winning individual titles this year and 2007’s Runner of the Year, Walid Berkhedle, back for his sophomore season. Clayton State is currently ranked second in the southeast region, the highest-ranked conference school.

The 2008 PBC Championships will be run on Saturday, Oct. 25, on the West Campus Course at Georgia College & State University in Milledgeville, Ga. The men’s race begins at 9:00 am with the women at 9:45.

PBC Award Winners on Friday night (L to R) Clayton State head coach Mike Mead; FMU's Hillary Kiprop, Clayton State's Allison Kreutzer, Augusta State head coach Adam Ward.