Thomas D'Anieri Wins SCIAC Athlete of the Year for CMS Men's Cross Country

CLAREMONT, Calif. - The Claremont-Mudd-Scripps men's cross country team swept the major awards from the SCIAC which the league announced this morning, as Thomas D'Anieri captured the Athlete of the Year, Henry Pick was named the Newcomer of the Year, and John Goldhammer and staff won the Coaching Staff of the Year honor.

The trio earned their accolades after the Stags won the SCIAC team championship by the narrowest of margins, tying Pomona-Pitzer with 31 points at last weekend's SCIAC Championships and then winning the tiebreaker due to higher finishes head-to-head among the top five. 



D'Anieri won the individual championship at SCIACs as a triumphant return to the CMS lineup after missing all of last season with an injury he suffered as a sophomore. He was a top-100 runner at nationals as a sophomore, but wasn't sure if he would be able to complete his career after being injured during track and field season. He was able to get back in the lineup, and consistently placed in the top three for the Stags all season, before peaking at the right time and winning the SCIAC title. 

Pick had his strongest race of the year at the best possible time for the Stags as well, finishing 10th at the SCIAC Championships and fifth on the Stags, earning the final scoring position. He finished one spot ahead of the fifth-place Sagehen in 11th place, which made the difference in the team scoring, pulling CMS even with 31 points and giving the Stags the tiebreaker. For his efforts, he was named the National Athlete of the Week by the United States Cross Country and Track and Field Coaches Association. 

The All-SCIAC winners were also officially announced along with the major awards, which were given to the top 20 finishers at the SCIAC Championships. All five scorers for CMS earned first-team honors by finishing in the top 10 (D'Anieri, Miles Christensen, Stevie Steinberg, Kyril Van Schendel and Pick), while second-team honors went to the finishers between 11-20, Will Kimball, Daniel Krasemann and Wilson Ives. 

CMS, which is now ranked No. 3 in the nation, will return to action in Claremont next weekend for the NCAA West Regionals, which will be held at the Pomona-Pitzer Cross Country course on Nov. 16.