WATERVILLE, Maine – SUNY Delhi head cross country coach Zach Brown was voted the North Atlantic Conference (NAC) Men’s Cross Country Coach of the Year while Maine Maritime Academy senior Ben Butterfield was selected as the Men’s Cross Country Senior Scholar Athlete, in the results of voting among the conference head coaches and Faculty Athletics Representatives.

SUNY Delhi’s John Amenta earned Men’s Cross Country Runner of the Year honors while SUNY Cobleskill’s Jack Gemmett received the Men’s Cross Country Rookie of the Year accolade, by virtue of their respective performances at the 2022 NAC Cross Country Championships held October 29, 2022 in Canton, New York.

This marks Brown’s second year winning a NAC cross country Coach of the Year award, after receiving the women’s cross country honor in 2021. The Brown’s tutelage, the Broncos won their second NAC men’s championship and SUNY Delhi runners placed first and second among individuals.

Amenta won the men’s 8000m race with a time of 26:18.7, while the Broncos’ Seth Bywater was second with a time of 26:29.2. He was named NAC Men’s Cross Country Runner of the Week on September 12, 2022, after posting a fourth-place finish at the Vassar College Ron Stonitsch Invitational with a time of 19:34 in the 6000m run.

Gemmett captured NAC Men’s Cross Country Rookie of the Week honors six times during the 2022 season. He finished 12th overall at the NAC championship meet with a time of 27:33.4.

The Senior Scholar Athlete award, won for the third time over the last six seasons by a Maine Maritime Academy runner, recognizes a graduating senior who has excelled academically and athletically, while demonstrating leadership and service, during their student-athlete experience.

A marine systems engineering major at Maine Maritime, Butterfield currently holds a 3.93 grade points average. He earned the Elite 8 award as a junior, which recognizes the top academic performers in each class, and earned All-Academic Team honors from the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). Butterfield earned NAC weekly honors twice during his athletic career, and was a First Team All-NAC performer this season by virtue of his sixth-place finish in the NAC championship meet.

All programs are headed to NCAA Regional qualifying races on Saturday, Nov. 12, 2022. Husson University, Maine Maritime Academy, Thomas College, UMaine-Farmington, and UMaine-Presque Isle will compete in the East Region while NVU-Lyndon and SUNY Canton compete in the Mideast Region. SUNY Cobleskill, SUNY Delhi, and SUNY Poly will compete in the Niagara region.

In addition to the major conference awards, 15 student-athletes were named to the All-Conference teams, and 10 individuals were named to the NAC Men’s Cross Country Sportsmanship Team. Selection to the Sportsmanship Team is reserved for those who have distinguished themselves through demonstrated acts of sportsmanship and ethical behavior. The honorees have positively affected the cross country culture and meet day environment by clearly demonstrating sportsmanship and integrity beyond the rules and etiquette.

2022 NAC Men’s Cross Country Awards

Runner of the Year – John Amenta, SUNY Delhi
Rookie of the Year – Jack Gemmett, SUNY Cobleskill
Senior Scholar Athlete – Ben Butterfield, Maine Maritime
Coach of the Year – Zach Brown, SUNY Delhi

First Team All-North Atlantic Conference
John Amenta, SUNY Delhi
Seth Bywater, SUNY Delhi
Jarrod Hooper, Thomas
Nick Logan, SUNY Cobleskill
John Hassett, Maine Maritime
Ben Butterfield, Maine Maritime
Aidan Cutting, SUNY Delhi
Luke Bliss, UMaine-Farmington

Second Team All-North Atlantic Conference
Covy Dufort, UMaine-Farmington
Ponce Saltysiak, Maine Maritime
Justin Castaldo, UMaine-Farmington
Jack Gemmett, SUNY Cobleskill
Nathan Goodwin, SUNY Delhi
Derek Leiter, SUNY Delhi
Jimmy Reel, UMaine-Farmington

Sportsmanship Team
SUNY Canton – Stephen Dahl
SUNY Cobleskill – Tucker Skowyra
SUNY Delhi – Lewis Race
UMaine-Farmington – Covy Dufort
Husson – Austin O’Neal
Northern Vermont-Lyndon – Andrew Grautski
Maine Maritime – William Procko
SUNY Poly – Joseph Killian
UMaine-Presque Isle – Ezra Leach
Thomas – Jarrod Hooper