MELBOURNE, Fla. – Officials from the Sunshine State Conference office announced on Wednesday the women’s cross country All-Conference teams, as well as the conference award winners for the 2021 spring cross country season. The Sharks’ Ivanova Yanes was awarded women’s Freshman of the Year, while NSU had two runners appear on the All-SSC teams.
Voted on by league coaches, Yanes becomes the third NSU runner to earn the Freshman of the Year Award, but is the first Shark to do so since 2015 – previously Anabel Knoll (2015) and Alexandria Palm (2010). Hailing from Hollywood, Fla. and Avant Garde Academy, Yanes first finished fourth at the SSC Championships on February 27 in West Palm Beach, running a 23:19.59 in the 6k to produce the highest finish for an NSU performer since Knoll earned third in 2015.
For her efforts, Yanes earns a spot on the All-SSC First Team, while rookie classmate Maya Espinosa was named to the second team after finishing 13th at the conference meet with a time of 24:45.27.
“We are really excited to see her win this award,” head coach Bryan Hagopian said. “We are really proud and she’s leading the Sharks in the right direction. When I went out and saw her run in high school, I was really impressed, but she has only gotten better. It’s a big award for her and the program.”
Moving on to the track season, Yanes is already proving to be a leader on the track for the Sharks as well, having won gold in both the 1500m and 5000m in two meets to date.
Coaches selected Paige Patterson of Saint Leo as SSC Runner of the Year following her win at the SSC Championship. Tampa’s Jarrett Slaven is honored as SSC Women’s Cross Country Coach of the Year.
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