Albany, NY — The Sage Colleges' department of athletics recently announced the recipients of the department's annual awards. Named the 2019-2020 Sage men's cross country Gator of the Year was junior Holden Maynard (Schenectady, NY/Mohonasen).
Head cross country coach David Taranto commented, "Holden came into the season more motivated than almost any athlete I've coached." Taranto added, "We spent all summer discussing training plans and what the season would look like so by the time he got onto campus he was ready to go. As one of only a couple male distance runners Holden had to do much of his training alone, no easy task when you're competing at a high level, so seeing him improve throughout the season and get so close to the goals we set out at the beginning of the season was exciting. Holden will be back next year with even more strength and drive, aiming to be an All-Conference runner."
Maynard arrived at Sage in the fall of 2019 after a successful stint at Hudson Valley Community College. As a newcomer with the Gators, he excelled and made an immediate impact on the Sage cross country this past fall.
Along the way, he was Sage's top runner at every race he ran in as a Gator. Among his top showings was a 14th place finish at the Stephen Warde Invitational hosted by SUNY-Cobleskill (29:14.69), while taking 21st in the Empire 8 Championship in 28:28.1, his fastest time of the year for an 8K distance. His best short course time was at the Vassar Short Course race as he was 20th in 14:16.4 on the 4K course. He capped the fall with a selection to the 2019 Empire 8 Men's Cross Country Sportsmanship Team.
