HAGAMAN – Fonda-Fultonville High School’s Matt Hoffman and Jamie Kasza have been named winners of the Fulmont Roadrunners Club’s annual Cross-Country Runner of the Year Awards, according to an announcement by Fulmont Roadrunners President Ginny Mosher. The awards honor 2012’s top male and female cross-country runners in Fulton and Montgomery county high schools.
In addition, the Roadrunners honored the boys cross-country team from Fonda-Fultonville High, which won the Section II Class C Championships for 2012 and finished second in the Class C New York State Championship. Members of that team, coached by Mark Therrien and Mike Benton, included Matt Hoffman, Tyler Angioli, Jimmy Westman, Cameron Gilligan, Dylan DeSorbo, Dalton Hunter, Omijah Piening, Damian Freeman, Jacob Shave and Cole Wozniak.
For their achievements, the individual winners, Hoffman and Kasza, and the championship team received special recognition at the Fulmont Roadrunners’ annual Winter Wimp foot race, which took place Jan. 12 in Hagaman.
Hoffman, a senior at Fonda-Fultonville High, concluded his outstanding cross-country season with a first-place finish in the Section II Class C Championships race, and he was fifth (of 130 competitors) in the State Class C Championship. Other highlights of his 2012 running year included first-place finishes in the Burnt Hills and Utica Proctor invitationals and a first in the Colonial Council Championships.
Highlighting the running year of Kasza, a freshman at Fonda-Fultonville, were a first-place finish in the Class C Section II Championship race, followed by a ninth-place finish (of 127 runners) in the New York State Class C Championship. Her season also included firsts in the Fonda, Burnt Hills, and Grout invitationals and seconds in the Utica Proctor and Fort Plain Invitationals.
Outstanding XC
Runner Awards
In addition to the overall winners, the Fulmont Roadrunners select the top male and female cross-country runners in each of the Fulton and Montgomery County high schools that field cross-country teams. They too were honored at the Winter Wimp.
Winners of these Outstanding Cross-Country Runner Awards for 2012 were Megan Ottati and Nick Raponi, both seniors, at Amsterdam High School, senior Mackenzie Ottati and junior Greg Bogdan of Broadalbin-Perth High School, senior Quinn Li O’Shea of Canajoharie High School and junior Jordan Ahrens of Fort Plain High School, junior Kimberly Geniti and senior Tyler Angioli of Fonda-Fultonville High School, sophomore Brittany Craven and senior John Knox of Gloversville High School, seniors Emily Fettinger and Eric Brower of Johnstown High School, and seniors Lidija Nikollaj and Tom McClellan of Mayfield High School.
The Fulmont Roadrunners initiated the high school cross-country awards program 17 years ago as part of its efforts to encourage and reward young runners in Fulton and Montgomery counties.
It also awards scholarships annually to outstanding high school seniors in the area who compete in varsity running programs and are going on to college. Amsterdam High School track and cross country coach Stu Palczak heads both programs for the club.
