BETHLEHEM, Pa. --- With their 2020 outdoor season cancelled before it began by COVID-19, the Moravian College Department of Athletics & Recreation today honors the eight senior members of the Greyhounds' men's track & field and cross country teams that missed out on their Senior Day.
The group has helped the men's track & field program win four Landmark Conference Indoor titles and three Landmark Conference Outdoor championships in their careers as well as a runner-up finish at the Landmark Conference Cross Country Championships in 2019.
Senior Justin Beasley-Turner earned eight Landmark All-Conference honors throughout his career on the cross country and track & field teams. Justin was a two-time Landmark All-Conference Second Team honoree in cross country in 2017 and 2019. Justin won the 2020 Landmark Conference title in the 800-meter run indoors and was also part of the winning 4x400-meter relay squad that secured the group's seventh Landmark Conference team title. This winter, Justin also earned United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association All-Mideast Region in the 800-meter run. Justin was also a member of the Landmark Conference winning distance medley relay team in 2018 indoors, and he was All-Conference Second Team indoors in 2019 on the 4x400-meter relay. Outdoors, Justin won the 2018 Landmark Conference title in the 800-meter run, and he was the runner-up in 2019 to earn All-Conference Second Team honors. Justin is the son of Gail Beasley and Melvin Turner and is majoring in sociology and psychology at Moravian.
"We have a number of athletes with stories of perseverance, and Justin is certainly one of them," stated Director of Cross Country and Track & Field Jesse Baumann. "He has a lot of responsibilities outside of the team and school, some personal challenges he's endured while here especially early on, along with a lot of injuries to overcome, however he was never the type or person to make excuses for all the challenges he was faced with. Instead he just buckled down and pushed forward with his goals. He's going to be pursuing his masters at West Chester starting in the fall, and as an athlete he transformed himself as much as any athlete we've had in my time here I often joked with him that I did not expect him to be much of a cross country runner but he made himself into an All-Conference athlete who is on our all-time list. Additionally, he really found his niche in the middle distances and kept knocking on the door of NCAAs. We couldn't quite achieve that while he was here, but he has all the talent and drive to run 1:50 or even faster in the 800, and I'm confident that as long as he can stay healthy, we'll be seeing him running that 12 months from now down in West Chester. We really wish that could be happening here at Moravian, but ultimately, we just want to see Justin be successful, which I'm confident will happen down at West Chester and beyond."
Senior Nicholas Cephas competed in the hurdles and jumps for the Greyhounds. Nicholas won the 2020 Landmark Conference championship in the 60-meter hurdles. Nicholas had a total of seven scoring place finishes at the Landmark Conference Championships in his career. Nicholas is the son of Brittain Cephas and is majoring in graphic design at Moravian.
"Nick battled through a lot of injuries and other challenges off the track especially early on in his career," noted Baumann. "However, he persevered and set very high goals for himself, especially over this past summer. He had a big breakthrough at the 2019 Landmark Championships outdoor in both hurdle races which was a big turning point for us in winning the meet, and then he had a huge victory in a very tightly contested 60h race indoors to help ensure we could win the 2020 Indoor Championships. He was poised for another big outdoor season, especially since this was as healthy as he had been in his career here."
Senior Devon Fogel competed for the Greyhounds on the cross country course and in distance events on the track both indoors and outdoors. Devon made the Landmark Conference Fall, Winter and Spring Academic Honor Roll three times each, and he was on Moravian's Dean's List six times and is a member of Chi Alpha Sigma National College Athlete Honor Society. Devon is the son of Donna and Scott Fogel and is majoring in health sciences and philosophy at Moravian.
"Devon is another example of someone who has had to preserve," Baumann explained. "He battled a lingering hip injury and a number of other setbacks especially early in his time here and so often it seems when he was on the cusp of a breakout with solid workouts or a great race, he'd have some sort of a setback. Despite that and a number of other responsibilities he had to juggle outside of running with church and other engagements he managed to be a consistent solid contributor to us both in cross country and in the middle distances. He worked his tail off every day, led by example and was a big part of the reason our men's team's culture took a huge positive turn these past few years. He's very driven to whatever he's engaged with, so I'm confident he'll thrive as a PT in the coming years."
Senior Ryan Harper competed in the throwing events for the Hounds. Indoors, Ryan won the 2020 Landmark Conference indoor title in the weight throw while also earning United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association All-Mideast Region for being in the top five in the region in the event. Ryan is a four-time Landmark All-Conference Second Team honoree for runner-up finishes in the weight throw and shot put in both 2018 and 2019. He is ranked third in school history in the weight throw with a toss of 15.98 meters (52-5.25). Outdoors, Ryan won the 2017 and 2018 Landmark Conference titles in the shot put. He also had a pair of Landmark All-Conference Second Team accolades with a runner-up in the shot put in 2019 and the hammer throw in 2018. Ryan was on the Landmark Conference Winter and Spring Academic Honor Rolls three times each, and he has made Moravian's Dean's List seven times while being a member of Chi Alpha Sigma National College Athlete Honor Society. Ryan is the son of Dianne and Daniel Harper and is majoring in early childhood special education at Moravian.
"Ryan is just an awesome person. He obviously had a big appreciation for being a Hound with his mom being a Hall of Famer," commented Baumann. "He's a great worker, easy to get along with, and leads by example of how to be an exemplary student-athlete. He came to Bethlehem with a lot of potential but really worked to achieve some of the success he did, especially in the weight and hammer throws where he knocked on the door of Greg Cahill and John Lesoine's school records. He juggled a number of responsibilities while here but never complained and got his work done. The Kutztown meet this past February comes to mind when he was on his feet all day student-teaching and had to throw shot put that evening which probably hindered his performance. That being said, Ryan didn't complain, he was just the type to get work done and, in the end, knew how to perform at a high level when it was needed. He leaves Moravian with a great legacy of being one of the best throwers we've had here, but more importantly is just a really good person who is going to become a great teacher."
Senior Greg Jaindl ran distance events for both the cross country and track & field squads. Greg earned spots on the Landmark All-Conference First Team in 2017, 2018 and 2019, the Landmark All-Conference Second Team in 2016 and the NCAA Division III All-Mideast Region team in 2017, 2018 and 2019 while racing at the 2019 NCAA Division III National Championships. In indoor track, Greg was a two-time Landmark Conference champion, winning the 5,000-meter run in 2018 and 2019, and he was on the Landmark All-Conference Second Team for runner-up finishes in the 5,000-meter run in 2020 and the 3,000-meter run in 2018 and 2019. Outdoors, Greg won the 2017 Landmark Conference title in the 3,000-meter steeplechase while making the Landmark All-Conference Second Team six times, placing second in the 1,500-meter run, the 3,000-meter run and 3,000-meter steeplechase in both 2018 and 2019. Greg earned United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association All-Mideast Region outdoors in 2019 in the 1,500-meter run and in 2018 and 2019 in the 3,000-meter steeplechase as he went on to compete in the event at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Championships in both years. Greg made the Landmark Conference Fall, Winter and Spring Academic Honor Roll three times apiece, and he was on Moravian's Dean's List twice and selected as USTFCCCA Cross Country All-Academic in 2017. Greg is the son of Barbara Jaindl and is majoring in health sciences at Moravian.
"Greg let me know he was committing to Moravian while I was driving Meg Brockett and Cory Taggert to Boston for an indoor last chance qualifying meet (where Meg hit her 5k qualifying mark, actually)," stated Baumann. "As they could both tell you, I was pretty excited and did a few "fist pumps" when he told me the good news because I knew how much upside he had coming from such a short running career at Emmaus. He has probably had one of the top three running careers of any male long distance runner at Moravian. He has four school records, made the NCAAs three times, and still has another outdoor season to add to his accolades since he'll return in our Athletic Training program next year. Best of all from my vantage point is that he "gets it." He's disciplined with everything you need to do as a runner, he's humble, could not be more coachable, and is a phenomenal teammate. You don't get too many athletes like Greg to work with, so he's been a real joy to coach and have as a part of our program."
Senior Gavin Kemery earned spots on the Landmark All-Conference First Team in cross country in 2016 and 2018, and he made the All-Conference Second Team in 2017. Gavin was also a four-time United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Cross Country All-Academic selection, and a member of the 2018 Landmark Conference Fall All-Sportsmanship Team. Gavin scored eight times in events at the Landmark Conference indoor and outdoor track & field championship meets. Gavin made the Landmark Conference Fall, Winter and Spring Academic Honor Roll three times each, and he was on Moravian's Dean's List seven times and is a member of Chi Alpha Sigma National College Athlete Honor Society. Gavin is the son of Dawn and Francis Kemery and is majoring in English with a minor in economics at Moravian.
"Gavin is another huge reason the culture of our men's program took such a positive turn four years ago," commented Baumann. "Alyson Remsing in admissions had a number of conversations with me about how we haven't met many students as thoughtful and courteous as Gavin, and as I learned through the recruitment process, he is a very disciplined, driven, and tireless worker. He's had some enormous races for us over the years, most notably cross country Landmarks in 2016 and 2018 when he made first team, or his two 5ks at Landmarks last track season, especially with his huge finish at the indoor meet. However, more important than what he ran was the example he set every day. He was notorious for falling asleep at team dinners or before practice early on in his time here because he worked himself so hard, and although not optimal, it still reflects the drive and dedication he has. He was a great teammate, excellent leader, he helped to make me become a better coach, and overall was a phenomenal asset for our program."
Senior Evan Lutz competed in the sprint races for the track & field squad. Evan was part of the Greyhounds winning 4x400-meter relay indoors in 2020 to clinch the team title for Moravian, and he earned Landmark All-Conference Second Team honors indoors in both the 4x200-meter relay and 4x400-meter relay in 2019. Evan earned points in 10 events at the Landmark Conference Championships in his career. Evan is the son of Beth and Gregory Lutz and is majoring in biochemistry with a minor in public health at Moravian.
"Evan really evolved both as an athlete and a leader in his time at Moravian," Baumann said. "Especially in the past 18 months, he became an anchor for our team and someone who took charge in workouts and our day-to-day routines. He steadily ascended as an athlete while here, but especially this indoor season he was hitting remarkable levels. We saw it coming for a while but starting at the Ocean Breeze meet in the middle of February he really took charge and had a huge 400m time that continued into Penn State and onto Landmarks. It's a real shame he lost this outdoor season because I'm certain he could have broken the benchmark 50 second time in the 400m."
Senior Alex Tursi competed on both the cross country and track & field teams during his career with the Hounds. Alex made the Landmark Conference Fall, Winter and Spring Academic Honor Roll three times each, and he was on Moravian's Dean's List seven times and is a member of Chi Alpha Sigma National College Athlete Honor Society. Alex is the son of Nancy and Michael Tursi and is majoring in accounting with a minor in economics at Moravian.
"I continue to talk about culture with this senior class of distance runners and Alex is no different," noted Baumann. "He wore his efforts on his sleeve and whether it was in a workout or a race you'd routinely see him drop his chin and grind like a bulldog to squeeze every millisecond he could out of that day. You could always trust he'd do the work in the offseason or Sunday long runs, he never complained, was an awesome teammate and leader, and overall was just an incredible person to have on our program. He was the type of athlete you'd always root the hardest for, whether it was nearly breaking 28:00 at Rowan's meet, reaching for the conference qualifying marks in track, or breaking 56 in the 4x400, you always wanted to see him succeed because you know how much of his heart he poured into every step of the process. He already is lined up with a job down in Philadelphia and I'm looking forward to him continuing his tradition of excellence in donating to our program."
Graphics on all eight seniors will be posted throughout the next two days on Moravian's social media accounts.
