Video Wrap-Up With Coach Murray

DETROIT (12/9/2013) – The University of Detroit Mercy men's cross country team looked back at its championship season as both the men's and women's squad got together for their annual end of the year banquet at the Hard Rock Cafe in downtown Detroit.
 
The 2013 season saw the Titans win not only their first race in program history, but capped it off with a Horizon League title and then "defended" its championship at the 10k NCAA Great Lakes Regional. UDM beat all the conference teams in taking 19th, their first top-20 finish since placing 19th in 2008, and tied for the sixth best mark in school history. It was also the first time since 2008 that Detroit had two runners in the top 100 with five harriers placing in the top 150.
 
At the Horizon League Championship, the men had five student-athletes in the top 11 to secure not only a team championship, but five individual All-League honors as Detroit totaled 33 points. Detroit's highest finish at the league meet was runner-up in 1980, 1985 and 1986, while the most All-League runners it ever had at the event was three. The event also saw Director of Track and Field/Cross Country Guy Murray tabbed the Horizon League Coach of the Year. 
 
Earlier in the season, Detroit won its' first-ever race in the 27th Annual Running Fit-Detroit Titan Invitational and the Titans were also runner-up at the Golden Grizzly Open, third at Penn State and fifth at the National Catholic Championship.
 
Senior Martin Nelkie was named the Dominick Taddonio Team MVP for the third-straight year (he shared the honor as a sophomore). Nelkie had a great senior season and led the team in six races and was second in the other two. He was First Team All-Horizon League for the first time in his career after placing third at the HL Championship with a time of 25:54, the highest finish by a Titan since Ken Dubois was second in 1987. The 20th Titan harrier to run in four NCAA regionals, he posted the 15th best finish in Detroit history taking 75th in a personal record of 32:24. He started the season with a runner-up effort at the Golden Grizzly Open and then won the 27th Annual Running Fit-Detroit Titan Invitational in 20:44, just the second Titan to ever win the event following Chris McPhee in 1999 and 2001. He was also 14th at the National Catholic Championship in 25:44, his best run ever in four career races at Notre Dame and the best by a Titan at the event since 1987. Off the course, he has a 3.16 GPA in mechanical engineering.
 
The annual Coach's Award went to junior Ryan Hofsess. The third-year harrier had a break out season that saw him finish in the top two on the team in seven of UDM's eight races, including leading the squad on two occasions. He was First Team All-Horizon League for the first time in his career after taking fourth at the HL meet in 26:03, and he was also the 17th Titan in school history to finish in the top 100 at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional claiming 98th in a career-best 32:57. He challenged Nelkie for the top spot at the home meet with a runner-up finish at the 27th Annual Running Fit-Detroit Titan Invitational and he set his 8k career-best at the National Catholic Championship earning 17th in 25:56. He currently holds a 3.40 GPA in biology.
 
Senior Sam Felton received the Student-Athlete accolade. The elder runner took part in all eight races on the season and was part of the scoring squad five times. Felton posted a personal best 26:51 for 47th in the 8k National Catholic Championships and also tallied a career best in the 10k with a time of 34:15 for 160th at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional Championship. At the Horizon league Championship, the four-year letter winner was 27th at 26:56 and has a 3.40 GPA in social work.

The Most Improved Runner was given to sophomore Austin Wigent. A redshirt last season, he ran in all eight races and was part of the scoring five six times, including earning Second Team All-Horizon League with an eighth-place finish at the HL Championship in 26:18. He was also part of the UDM top 150 at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional Championship taking 132nd in 33:31. His season-low 8k time of 26:16 was food for 24th at the National Catholic Championship and he was also 13th at the Penn State National and 14th at the 27th Annual Running Fit-Detroit Titan Invitational. When he is not running, Wigent has a 3.70 GPA in accounting.

Horizon League Honors
All-Horizon League First Team - Martin Nelkie
All-Horizon League First Team - Ryan Hofsess
All-Horizon League First Team - George Holman
All-Horizon League Second Team - Austin Wigent
All-Horizon League Second Team - Derek Gielarowski
 
Team Awards:
Dominick Taddonio MVP - Martin Nelkie
Coach's Award - Ryan Hofsess
Student - Athlete Award - Sam Felton
Most Improved Award - Austin Wigent
 
Varsity Letters
1st Letter - Joshua Carolin, Austin Wigent
2nd Letter - Derek Gielarowski, George Holman
3rd Letter - Ylli Alla, Ryan Hofsess
4th Letter - Sam Felton, Martin Nelkie