W&M's McGrath Chosen CAA Men's XC Athlete of Year
RICHMOND, Va. (December 5, 2012) - William & Mary senior Alex McGrath was selected as the 2012 CAA men's cross country Athlete of the Year in voting by the league's head coaches.
William and Mary freshman Ryan Gousse was chosen as the CAA men's cross country Rookie of the Year and Tribe head coach Stephen Walsh was named CAA Coach of the Year for the third year in a row.
McGrath captured the individual title at the 2012 CAA Men's Cross Country Championship after posting a course-record time of 24:04 in the 8,000-meter race. The effort earned him Most Outstanding Performer honors as the Tribe won the team title for the 13th consecutive season. Two weeks later, McGrath earned All-Region accolades after placing 18th at the NCAA Southeast Regional Championship with a time of 30:37 on the 10K course. He also took first place this season at the William & Mary Invitational and finished 11th overall against a strong field at the Paul Short Invitational.
Gousse led all freshmen at the 2012 CAA Men's Cross Country Championship by placing 15th overall in a time of 25:28 over the 8K course. He represented the Tribe at the NCAA Southeast Regionals and was the team's sixth finisher and placed 109th overall with a time of 32:35 in the 10K event. Gousse also was W&M sixth-best finisher at the Pre-Nationals with an 8K time of 25:26.
Walsh earned his third CAA Coach of the Year award in three seasons as head coach at William & Mary. He guided the Tribe to their 13th consecutive conference title after having five of the top nine individual finishers. W&M went on to place eighth at the NCAA Southeast Regional.
The conference also recognized its 2012 All-CAA men's cross country team, which is made up of the top 12 finishers from the CAA Championship.
2012
ALL-CAA MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY TEAM
Name, School Cl. Hometown
Rad Gunzenhauser, William & Mary So. Pittsburgh, Pa.
Everett Hackett, George Mason Sr. Hartford, Conn.
Josh Hardin, William & Mary Jr. Sterling, Va.
John Holt, George Mason Jr. Williamsburg, Va.
Joe LoRusso, William & Mary Sr. Oak Hill, Va.
Alex McGrath, William & Mary Sr. Marlborough, N.H.
Andrew McGreal, George Mason Sr. Woodbridge, Va.
Joshua Mercado, William & Mary So. Citrus Heights, Calif.
Sean Nestor, George Mason Sr. Madison, Conn.
Alex Ott, George Mason Jr. Weyers Cave, Va.
Robert Reynolds, George Mason Sr. Mechanicsville,
Va.
Stephen Sollowin, Northeastern So. Weymouth, Mass.
2012 CAA Athlete of the Year: Alex McGrath, William & Mary
2012 CAA Rookie of the Year: Ryan Gousse, William & Mary
2012 CAA Coach of the Year: Stephen Walsh, William & Mary