Photos by Micaela Castillo

LA VERNE, CA — University of La Verne men's cross country runner Michael Sahagun has been named SCIAC Newcomer of the Year and First Team All-SCIAC the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference announced today.

Complete All-SCIAC List

Sahagun, a sophomore, was eligible for Newcomer of the Year honors in his first year of competition. He picks up First Team All-SCIAC honors after earning a top-10 finish in last weekend's SCIAC Championship race. Sahagun finished 10th overall with a time of 25:01.7. The Eastvale, CA native ran the second-fastest time in La Verne history earlier this year at the Masters Invitational when he crossed the finish line at 24:57.2.

"Michael is having a great season for us, one of the best that any men's La Verne cross country runner has ever had," said head coach Jamie Norton. "He's a great leader for us both on the course and off of it, setting the standard for work ethic and for what it means to be a great teammate.

"He has been eager to learn from our great coaching staff, is open to feedback, and always looking for ways to get better – all of those are hallmarks of a great athlete, and he has only begun to scratch the surface of the potential that he has over the coming years."

Sahagun and the Leopards now move their attention to the NCAA West Regionals which are scheduled for November 13 on the Pomona College course. It will be the third time this season the Leopards have run the course so Sahagun and his squad will be ready.