The CUNY Athletic Conference and the US Army ROTC are proud to announce the 2013 CUNYAC/US Army Men's Cross Country All-Stars. After taking home its first-ever CUNYAC Championship, CSI took home two major honors with Andrew Pate earning Athlete of the Year and Robert Russo nabbing Coach of the Year. Lehman's rookie standout John Pollina was named Rookie of the Year while Janssel Nunez of CCNY earned the Sportsmanship Award. The CUNYAC Champions grabbed five all-stars while Hunter snagged four all-stars, Baruch and John Jay tied with three honorees, and CCNY took home two all-star nods.
Andrew Pate is one of CUNYAC’s top runners having consistently finished amongst the top ten. At the CUNYAC Championship, the veteran showed his best with a first place finish that earned him the Championship MVP award. On top of his stellar championship performance, the standout is CSI’s all-time record holder in the 8K.
“Andrew is very deserving of this distinction," said CSI Head Coach Robert Russo. "His performances this year are the culmination of a sensational career where he set goals and met them. He's one of the most dedicated athletes to the sport that I've had the pleasure of coaching. He has a unique desire to do well and that desire is a great influence over the rest of the team and their success this season.”
John Pollina burst onto the CUNYAC Cross Country scene this season with outstanding finish after outstanding finish. His excellence earned him ECAC Runner of the Week once, CUNYAC Athlete of the Week once, and CUNYAC Rookie of the Week four times this season. His name is all over Lehman’s best finishes all-time including at the top as Pollina set a new Lightning record with a time of 25:59 in just his second collegiate race.
"This shows a lot of respect for me and the Lehman team," said Pollina. "I am looking forward to continuing to get better each and every year."
Robert Russo was able to achieve this season what no other cross country coach had ever achieved at CSI before; won the CUNYAC Championship. Russo has been able to build a legitimate men’s cross country contender over the past several years with three of CUNYAC’s top 15 finishers this season. Every season, his team appears to get deeper while increasing in quality.
“This is a great honor for me, very surprising and I am very overwhelmed," said Russo. "To be recognized in this way, especially when put against the great coaches we have in this conference, whom I’ve come to know and admire very much, is very humbling. It couldn’t have happened without a great group who performed extremely well year. This is a true team away and that’s why it does mean so much to me.”
Janssel Nunez is major team motivator and overall positive energy for other student-athletes. As part of his routine, Nunez posts inspirational quotes on a weekly basis and leads the squad in cheers to get them ready for competition. He regularly volunteers his time outside of school and training.
"I think that you should always give the best of yourself, even if you're the underdog," said Nunez. "Everybody has to try their best, because at the end of the day, its a team sport. We need to try to win as a team. That's what I try to push my teammates to do."
CUNYAC All-Stars
Athlete of the Year - Andrew Pate, Staten Island
Rookie of the Year - John Pollina, Lehman
Coach of the Year - Robert Russo, Staten Island
Sportsmanship Award - Janssel Nunez, CCNY
All-Stars
Wilson Hooi, Baruch
Brian Michalak, Baruch
Hiroshi Nobuoka, Baruch
David Coba, CCNY
Fernando Meza, CCNY
John Aiken, Hunter
Richard Barbecho, Hunter
Walter Rodriguez, Hunter
Christian Rojas, Hunter
Bassel Ahmad, John Jay
Tevin Brown, John Jay
James Buckley, John Jay
Khaled Halwani, Staten Island
Justin Mills, Staten Island
Kenneth Morella, Staten Island
Samuel Obisanya, Staten Island
Richard Brienza, Queensborough
William Allen, Queensborough
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