The Emory University men's cross country team has announced the program's award winners for the 2012 season.

Freshman Lukas Mees (Marion, IA) was named both the Most Valuable Runner and Rookie of the Year after turning in a solid campaign, capped off by participating in the NCAA D-III Championships.  Mees finished among the top-three Emory runners in all six meets he competed in, and was the squad's top performer on two occasions including a 14^th-place finish overall out of 160 runners at the NCAA South/Southeast Championships that enabled him to earn all-region acclaim.  In addition, he helped the Eagles to a first-place finish at the Gulf Coast Stampede by leading the squad's effort and registering a fourth-place performance out of 93 entries.

Junior Hank Ashforth (Whitehouse Station, NJ) was tabbed as the Most Improved Runner Award after emerging as a key contributor on this year's team.  Ashforth finished among the squad's top five runners in all six of his competitions and brought home all-region honors following a 25th-place effort at the South/Southeast Regional Championships.  

Sophomore Tyler Cooke (Atlanta) received the Coach's Award, symbolic of dedication, leadership and inspiration.  Scoring for Emory in two of his five races,  Cooke was the Eagles' No. 1 finisher and 15^th overall at the JSU Foothills Invitational with a career-best 8K time of 27:02 and helped the team to a first-place effort at the Viking Open by crossing the finish line in the No. 12 position out of 132 entries.