Dec. 30, 2003

OXFORD, Ohio - Senior Andrea Kremer (Indianapolis, Ind./Bishop Chatard) and head coach Dr. Richard Ceronie were honored with Division I Female Athlete of the Year and Division I Coach of the Year honors, respectively, from the Ohio Collegiate Cross Country Coaches Association (OCCCCA), OCCCCA President Jeremy Croy (Tiffin) announced today.

"I am pleased that the OCCCCA chose Andrea as its athlete of the year," said Ceronie. "She certainly had a spectacular season and accomplished just about everything that a runner could do. "

The honor serves as a fitting conclusion to her cross country career, as well as to a successful senior campaign for Kremer. The 2003 Mid-American Conference Champion, she won four races on the season, including the All-Ohio Championships, while taking second place in two others and sixth place at the Great Lakes Regional. Kremer garnered MAC Runner of the Week honors an unprecedented six times, one for each regular-season race, and qualified for her second NCAA Championship meet in cross country.

Ceronie guided the RedHawks to the program's first All-Ohio Championship, while mentoring his third individual winner in Kremer. His second such honor, he was previously honored by the OCCCCA in 1993. Ceronie was recently honored as the 2003 MAC and Mondo Coach of the Year, respectively, for the success of Miami's women's track & field team.

"I am honored that the coaches association chose me as their coach of the year," Ceronie said of his own honor. "We had a very nice year, and our group achieved many solid results, with the All-Ohio Championship ranking as the most rewarding. It was an excellent group of young people to coach."

The OCCCCA Awards were voted on by all 42 coaches from the state of Ohio, including 12 NCAA Division I schools. Miami's David Mitchell also was honored, earning the Division I Male Athlete of the Year Award.

Kremer and the RedHawks continue their indoor track season at Bowling Green on Jan. 17. The meet also features Western Michigan, Ohio and Detroit.