Three Herkimer College Cross Country Runners Earn All-American Honors

Three Herkimer College cross country runners earned All-American honors at the NJCAA Division III National Championship in Huntsville, Alabama. It’s the first time since 2018 that Herkimer has had a cross country runner named All-American. This is also the most cross country All-Americans the program has had in a single season. In addition to the individual successes, the women’s team finished in fourth place, the best cross country finish in the history of the program.

Sophomores Avion Harris of Niagara Falls, NY, Amelia Bowman-McCoy of Oneida, NY, and Alexis Heath of Inlet, NY placed in the top 15, giving them All-American distinctions.

Bowman-McCoy finished in fourth place with a time of 19:58.00. It’s the first time this season McCoy ran a sub-20 minute 5,000-meter race. Coming into the race she had won three consecutive races including Mohawk Valley Conference and Region III championships, respectively.

Heath ran for just the second time in over a month due to injury, finishing in 12th place with a time of 20:46.00. Also contributing to the team’s historic finish were local student-athletes Breanne Millson of Verona, NY, who finished in 50th place and Alexandria Stewart of Newport, NY, who finished in 67th place.

Harris finished in 13th place with his fastest 8,000-meter time of the season at 27:16.80. It was his fourth time finishing an 8K race in under 28 minutes. Harris finished the season with five top-five finishes.

“I was extremely proud of the tremendous effort at the national meet in Huntsville,” said Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Head Coach John Campagna. “We peaked at the right time and had great performances for both the women and the men.”   

(From Left) Amelia Bowman-McCoy, Avion Harris, and Alexis Heath