TOWSON, Md. --- Moravian College's Meg Brockett has been named the 2016 Landmark Conference Senior Scholar-Athlete for Women's Cross Country.
The Landmark Conference selects 20 senior scholar-athletes each year to recognize the top student-athlete in each sport based on academics and athletics. The honorees must have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.20 and are selected by a committee of Landmark Conference officers, athletics directors and sports information directors. Chosen at the conclusion of each sport season, the six fall honorees are being announced last week and this week.
Brockett is working on her Bachelor's degree in nursing while finishing her final year of athletic eligibility for the Greyhounds.
"We stress in recruiting and throughout the year to our athletes that there is a prioritization that needs to take place while here with their obligations as a student taking precedence over their athletic focus, and Meg is a great example of that," commented Head Coach Jesse Baumann. "As a nursing major, she has a lot on her plate and we've often had to make accommodations in practice due to this with her clinicals and clinical prep, requirements outside of class, and we even had to delay our departure to NCAAs due to one of her classes. As with any nursing major, her nose is always in a book studying, even while we were in Kentucky. It's a very time-intensive program here but she's balanced it well making our dean's list every semester. In addition to that she's involved with our orchestra, which is another time commitment she balances well."
This fall, Brockett earned All-America honors for the first time in her career with a 35th place finish of 280 runners at the 2016 NCAA Division III Women's Cross Country Championships at E.P. "Tom" Sawyer State Park in Louisville, Kentucky with a time of 21:16.1 on the 6,000-meter course. Brockett ran a total of six races this year in under 22 minutes and a seventh at 22:05 including her first trip to the NCAA Championships. Brockett is a two-time member of the NCAA Division III All-Mideast Region after finishing second in the region this fall and 28th a year ago.
Brockett was named the Landmark Conference Runner of the Year and individual champion with a time of 21:10 at the conference meet, taking one minute and 42 seconds off of the previous meet record at 6K. Brockett ran a school and Landmark Conference record 21:06 at the Paul Short run. She has the four fastest times in Moravian history at 6K, and she has five top 10 times and six in the top 20 in the Moravian record book with all six this season.
"She's obviously had an extraordinary season," stated Baumann. "Aside from a three runners from Johns Hopkins, the NCAA Champions, Meg didn't lose to a runner from our Region the entire season. She bettered our old school record four times, and won numerous Landmark awards throughout the season. She's been a great student in a challenging major, and had an incredible season on the course. When you say "student-athlete" she is exactly what comes to mind."
Brockett has earned Landmark All-Conference honors in each of her four seasons with First Team honors in 2015 and 2016 after spots on the Second Team in 2013 and 2014. She is also a three-time member of the Landmark Conference Fall Academic Honor Roll, and has made the Landmark Academic Honor Roll a total of seven times as she competes in track & field both indoors and outdoors for Moravian.
On the track, Brockett captured four conference titles in 2016, winning the 3K and 5K indoors and 5K and 10K outdoors. She was named to the 2015 Landmark All-Conference Second Team Outdoors for runner-up finishes in the 5K and 10K.
Off of the cross country course and track, Brockett is active on campus as the Vice-President of Omicron Delta Kappa National Leadership Honor Society and a member of Emerging Leaders, the Moravian College Community Orchestra, the Student Nurses Association and a volunteer tutor.