Copyright 2015; Wilmington University. All rights reserved. File photo by Frank Stallworth.
NEW HAVEN, Conn. - - For the third time in the last four years, Wilmington University cross country coach Keith Jones was voted the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Men's Cross Country Coach of the Year by his peers, as announced by the league office on Thursday.
Jones, who has been the lone Wildcats' head coach since the program's inception in 2001, was also voted as the men's Coach of the Year in 2012 and 2013, the same years he led the team to a CACC Championship. He was also named the 2009 CACC Women's Coach of the Year.
This year, Jones has guided the men's team to top-four finishes in all four of the races it has competed in this year. The fifth scheduled race was cancelled due to Hurricane Joaquin. Among those top-four finishes was a pair of victories, as the Wildcats won its own 15th Annual WUXC Invite before capturing the Jack St. Clair Memorial Championship on October 10.
The Jack St. Clair Memorial Championship was run on the same course as the upcoming CACC Championship, as the Wildcats defeated eight other CACC teams in the competition. Jones had all five of his scoring runners finish in the Top-17, with all seven runners finishing 35th or better.
Junior Ken Fontal led the charge with a second place finish while freshman Miguel Suero finished seventh overall. Twin brother Manuel Suero placed 13th overall while sophomore Andrew Milham and freshman Ryan Wilson finished back-to-back in 16th and 17th, respectively. The team finished with 55 points at the meet, defeating Temple by 33 points.
Jones and the Wildcats will look to get back into the winner's circle at the CACC Championship this Sunday, as they finished second to Philadelphia a season ago.
The 2015 CACC Championship will begin with the men's 8K event at 9:00 a.m. on Sunday, October 25. The women follow with their 5K event starting at 10:00 a.m. on Belmont Plateau in Fairmount Park.
AGATE:
2015 CACC Cross Country Awards:
CACC Rob Roman Men's Team Sportsmanship Award: Caldwell University
CACC Anne Jackson Women's Team Sportsmanship Award: Caldwell University
CACC/BSN Sports Men's Coach of the Year: Keith Jones, Wilmington University
CACC/BSN Sports Women's Coach of the Year: Dave Thomas, Philadelphia Univ.