Conference Carolinas has Five Student-Athletes Named USTFCCCA Cross Country All-Region
NEW ORLEANS, La. - The United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) announced the 2021 NCAA Division II Cross Country All-Region honorees and Conference Carolinas had five student-athletes recognized.
Emmanuel led the way with three honorees in men’s cross country while UNC Pembroke had two honorees, one male and one female.
The Lions’ selections were headlined by Conference Carolinas Freshman of the Year Luke Gaddis who finished third at the cross country championships. He was joined on the Southeast Region team by Demarco Hernandez and Brandon Martin.
For the Braves, Joshua Chepkesir earned the honor for the men. The Conference Carolinas Runner of the Year, Chepkesir finished in second place at the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional to earn a spot in the NCAA Division II Men’s Cross Country Championship. Chepkesir posted a time of 30:23.1.
He’s joined on the team by Erman Jepleting who was a two-time Conference Carolinas women’s cross country Runner of the Week.
A total of 200 men from 81 different programs and 200 women from 94 different programs earned the distinction of All-Region by virtue of a top-25 finish at one of the eight regional sites this past weekend. Only athletes from USTFCCCA member programs are eligible for awards. The complete list of awardees is available here.