AUGUSTA, GA – UNC Pembroke's Joshua Chepkesir and Augusta's Micah Weathers were named the PBC men's and women's cross country Runners of the Year at an awards reception on Friday night in Pembroke, N.C., on the eve of the PBC Championships.  The award is in recognition of outstanding accomplishments during the regular season and voted on by the league's head coaches.

A sophomore from Eldoret, Keyna, Chepkesir keeps the Runner of the Year award at UNC Pembroke for a third straight season as teammate Silus Kipkoech won in 2017 and 2018.  Chepkesir has won both races he competed in this season.  He ran away from a huge 520-runner field at the Royals XC Challenge in 23:22.7 and won the Trevecca Nazarene DII Showcase meet in 24:17.2 against some of the top Division II teams in the nation.  Those two times are the fastest 8ks run in the Peach Belt this season.  Chepkesir is the defending PBC Individual Champion and Freshman of the Year; he has won the last four races he has entered dating back to last season.

Micah Weathers enters the PBC Championship on Saturday holding the fastest 6k, 5k and 4k times in the PBC this season.  A junior from Statham, Ga., won the 39-team, 316-runner Queen City Invitational in September with a 5k time of 18:01.  She was second at the Wingate Bulldog Stampede with a 6k time of 22:07.6 on the course that will host this year's NCAA Southeast Regional.  A two-time PBC Runner of the Week, she has been an All-Conference performer for the last two seasons and was the 2017 PBC Freshman of the Year.  She becomes the first Jaguar to ever be named the women's Runner of the Year.

In addition to the Runner of the Year awards, the PBC presented the Elite 15 Awards for men's and women's cross country and the All-Sportsmanship teams.  The Elite 15 is given to the student-athlete participating in the championship with the highest cumulative GPA.    Each team also selected one athlete for the All-Sportsmanship Team who best embodies the PBC core value of fair play and sportsmanship.

The PBC Championships will be held on Saturday, Oct. 26, at Luther Britt Park in Lumberton, N.C.  The women's race will begin at 9:00 am with the men following at 10:15.  More information about the event can be found here.

2019 PBC Men's and Women's Cross Country

Runner of the Year
Men: Joshua Chepkesir, UNC Pembroke
Women: Micah Weathers, Augusta

Elite 15 Award presented by EAB
Men: Shawn Olmstead, Georgia College
Women: Rachel Hammesfahr, Augusta

All-Sportsmanship Team

Men
Chandler Kennedy, Augusta
Courtland White, Clayton State
Noah Churchwell, Columbus State
Michael Hayeck, Flagler
Thomas Allen, Francis Marion
Quillian Holland, Georgia College
James Arnold, Georgia Southwestern
Samonzy Wiggins, Lander
Jarett Arabie, UNC Pembroke
Riley Campbell, USC Aiken
Luke Surwoiec, Young Harris

Women
McKenzie Knudson, Augusta
Stephanie Escobar, Clayton State
Eva Salazar-Torres, Columbus State
Maria Puccio-Ball, Flagler
Angela Kasitz, Francis Marion
Michaela Davis, Georgia College
Maddie Toth, Georgia Southwestern
Missy O'Toole, Lander
Erman Jepleting, UNC Pembroke
Elizabeth Burton, North Georgia
Sophie King, USC Aiken
Sydney Hutchinson, Young Harris