By Brandy Thurston, Director of Sports Information
(Morrisville, NY – Nov. 4, 2013) Morrisville State College senior Billie Jo Hinds (Blossvale, N.Y.) added something to the Mustang Cross Country record books on Saturday that no other individual runner had accomplished: a North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) Individual Championship Title, All-Conference First Team accolades, and Runner of the Year honors.
All come on the heels of her performance at the NEAC Championship Race held on Saturday at SUNYIT, as she topped the field to claim the title, completing the five-kilometer course in 20:37. Hinds kicked her way to the finish line, beating out two-time defending NEAC Runner of the Year, Emily Middlebrook (Wells College), by five seconds.
Hinds led the Mustangs to a second place finish at the Championships, the best showing by the women’s team since the transition to Division III in 2006.
Her efforts on the courses this season earned NEAC Runner of the Week honors earlier in the year, posting her first win of the year at the Hobart Invitational. Her performance that week also garnered Hinds ECAC Upstate Division III co-Runner of the Week accolades.
The senior is majoring in human performance and health promotion at Morrisville State.