CUNYAC Men’s Cross Country Presented by University Student Senate

The CUNY Athletic Conference and the University Student Senate are happy to announce their Men’s Cross Country All-Stars and major award winners for the 2015 season.  Richard Brienza of John Jay earned Performer of the Year as Alex Wang of Baruch earned Rookie of the Year.  Robert Russo of CSI was named Coach of the Year.

Richard Brienza of John Jay earned this year's Performer of the Year honor after finishing in first place at the CUNYAC Championships with a time of 29:29.7.  During the 8k race, Brienza ran an average mile of 5:56.0.  The junior will look to excell come his senior year next year.

Alex Wang of Baruch earned this year's Rookie of the Year honor after finishing in fourth place at the CUNYAC Championships with a time of 29:40.2.  He ran the race with a average mile pace of 5:58.1.  The freshman won all six of the CUNYAC Rookie of the Week honors this year.  Wang still has three more years to help the Bearcats win a title.

"Cross country in Manhattan isn't easy, but I am thankful to have had coaches Steve Arnett and Micheal Rubin in high school to know what to do and build that "mental field" only this sport can offer. My teammates, friends, and church deserve the biggest thanks for all their support, jokes, and hype; they never fail to make me smile." said Wang.

Robert Russo of CSI earned this year's Coach of the Year honor after helping the Dolphins three-peat as CUNYAC Champions.  Before CSI Russo excelled at both cross-country and track & field at Wagner College.  With another title under his belt the fifth year coach has helped keep CSI on the top of CUNYAC.

“My performance as a coach is measured by the success of the athletes.  I am honored to accept the award because it reflects the dedication and determination of the CSI Men to give their best in practice and competition throughout the entire season." said Coach Russo.

Aaron Dickens earned this year's Sportsmanship Winner honor after portraying the ideal behavior of a student-athlete.  Matthew Day of CSI, Bobby Dourountoudakis of John Jay, Christopher Santana of Lehman, Pete Aragones of Baruch, Johnathan Ho of Brooklyn, Walter Rodriguez of Hunter, Jesus Medina of York and Abdul Kamara of Medgar Evers were named to the Sportsmanship team.

For a complete list of this year’s All-Star selections and Sportsmanship awards, reference the table below.

2015 CUNYAC All-Stars