The Emory University women's cross country team has announced the program's award winners for the 2011 season.

Senior Tess Gallegos (Kennesaw, GA) was named the Most Valuable Runner after enjoying a fine campaign that saw her rank among the top three Emory runners in all six of her competitions while pacing the Eagles' pack on four occasions.  Gallegos earned All-South Region honors for the third time in her career after crossing the finish line in second place out of 197 runners at the NCAA South/Southeast Championships.  She was Emory's top runner at both the NCAA D-III Championships and the University Athletic Association Championships where she captured a spot on the all-league second team. 

Senior Sabrina Jeppson (Atlanta, GA) was chosen as the Most Improved Runner Award after proving to be one of the team's more durable performers by competing in eight meets.   She scored points for Emory in five races and was the Eagles' top performer and 10^th overall out of 133 entries at the Sewanee Invitational where she clocked a personal-best time 6k time of 22:47.  She captured all-region honors after registering a 15^th-place effort at the NCAA South/Southeast Championships. 

Junior Sara Gelb (Fort Myers, FL) received the Coach's Award, symbolic of dedication, leadership and inspiration.  A reliable performer,  she ranked among the squad's top-five finishers in all eight of her competitions and was Emory's No. 2 runner on three occasions including the NCAA D-III Championships where she posted a personal-best 6k time of 22:34.  In addition, she claimed all-region kudos for the second straight season by virtue of her ninth-place finish at the NCAA South/Southeast Championships.

Freshmen Stephanie Crane (Annapolis, MD) and Tamara Surtees (Chagrin Falls, OH) were co-recipients of the team's Rookie of the Year award.  Crane took part in eight races and was among the team's top-five finishers in six competitions including the NCAA South/Southeast Championships where her eighth overall finish enabled her to claim all-region honors.   Surtees was another all-region honoree, crossing the finish line in the No. 23 spot.  Surtees competed in six races for the Eagles, including the NCAA D-III Championships where she was the No. 3 Emory runner to finish.