Virginia Tech distance runner Peter Seufer was named the Atlantic Coast Conference Men's Cross Country Runner of the Year on Tuesday following a vote among the league's cross country head coaches.
Seufer, who also won the same award in 2018, concluded his cross country career with an outstanding season. On Nov. 23, the redshirt senior from Lynchburg, Virginia delivered a terrific performance at the 2019 NCAA Cross Country Championships, coming in fourth out of 252 runners in the field and earning All-America honors for the second consecutive season. He led the race at the 8,000-meter mark and finished with a time of 30 minutes, 40.1 seconds – a 10th of a second from winning a bronze medal.
Seufer's finish marked the best ever by a Tech men's runner at the NCAA Championships in the history of the Hokies' men's program. Former runner and former distance coach Steve Taylor held the previous highest finish when he came in ninth at the 1987 NCAA Championships. Seufer also became one of just two Tech men's runners to earn All-America honors twice – Will Mulherin did so in 2011 and 2012.
Seufer earlier had posted a first-place time of 29:20.7 to lead the men's 10K at the NCAA Southeast Regional held in Charlottesville, Virginia, on Nov. 15. He repeated as the gold medalist as the ACC Championships held on the Buford Meredith Cross Country Course in Blacksburg on Nov. 1, navigating the 8k course in a time of 23:42.7 that placed him nearly 39 seconds ahead of the next-closest runner.
Seufer wound up his cross country career as a two-time ACC champion, a two-time All-American and a three-time All-NCAA Southeast Region honoree.
NC State's Elly Henes was the ACC Women's Cross Country Runner of the Year after winning the league title and the Southeast Region meet, and finishing in the top 10 at the NCAA meet. In addition, Syracuse's Brien Bell was voted the ACC Men's Cross Country Coach of the Year, while NC State's Laurie Henes was tabbed as the ACC Women's Coach of the Year for the fourth year in a row and the fifth time overall. Bell led the Orange to their sixth title in seven seasons, while Henes led the Wolfpack to their fourth straight crown.
