ERIE, Pa. – The Penn State Behrend men's cross country team announced their team award winners for the 2014 season on Wednesday.
Devin Beggs (Franklin, PA/Franklin) was voted the team's MVP. Beggs had a pair of victories during the season, including individual medalist at the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) Championship meet. The junior garnered AMCC Runner of the Year honors for his efforts and was not beaten by a conference foe other than his teammates all season.
Jacob Parsons (Titusville, PA/Maplewood) earned the team's Rookie of the Year Award after earning All-Conference honors in his first season with the Behrend Lions. Parsons finished second at the AMCC Championships and earned an ECAC Rookie of the Week selection after finishing 44th at the Dickinson Invitational.
The Sportsmanship/Leadership Award went to Josh Natalie (Erie, PA/Collegiate Academy-Strong Vincent). Natalie, a junior, helped lead the Behrend squad to their fourth straight and eighth overall AMCC Championship. He earned All-Conference honors for the third-straight year after finishing fifth at the AMCC Meet.
Freshman Alan Yocca (Plum, PA/Plum) notched the Most Improved Award. Yocca earned a spot on the All-Conference squad for his eighth-place finish at the conference championship. He came on strong at the end of the season, and ran his career-best time at the NCAA Regionals.
The Lions return a strong team for next season as they search for their fifth straight AMCC Championship.
