Jan. 27, 2003

SANTA CLARA, Calif. - The Santa Clara University men and women's cross country programs held their annual awards banquet last weekend and recognized a number of outstanding team and individual performances that contributed to both teams' success in 2002.

Fifth-year senior Michael Helms was named the men's Most Outstanding Runner, while senior Dominic Ricci was recognized as the Most Improved and junior Kevin Edwards was honored as the team's Most Inspirational Runner. On the women's team, graduate student Kim Bates was named the Most Outstanding Runner, junior Milena Basile earned the Team Captain Award and sophomore Katie Hansen earned the Most Improved Runner award.

Helms, a four-time all-West Coast Conference selection during his career at Santa Clara, led the Broncos in three races last season, including a season-best second-place effort at the annual Bronco Invitational He finished eighth at the WCC championships and was SCU's top finisher at the NCAA West Regional Championships at the Stanford Golf Course.

"When Michael arrived in our program five years ago, he set some lofty goals for himself and this team," said men's head coach John Maloney. "Without a doubt he has made an impact on our program, helped set a solid foundation for the future and created an attitude that we can build this program into a national contender. While he did enjoy success in competition, Michael's contribution to Santa Clara University and this cross country program will not be measured with a stopwatch. It will be measured with the size of his heart."

"While he did enjoy success in competition, Michael's contribution to Santa Clara University and this cross country program will not be measured with a stopwatch. It will be measured with the size of his heart." Men's Coach John Maloney

Bates, a transfer from the University of Arizona, led Santa Clara in all six races she competed in and earned medalist honors at the Bronco Invitational. She took second at the WCC Championships and was the team's top runner at the NCAA West Regional Championships. She recorded the best time ever for a Santa Clara runner with a 5,000-meter time of 17:28.88 at the Willamette Invitational.

"Kim was our leading runner throughout the season and I think she really did a great job of coming in here and showing our team what it takes to get to the next level," said women's head coach Tom Service. "She clearly led our team by example and recorded some of the best performances in the history of this program. Without a doubt, it is tough to come into a situation with only one year of eligibility and establish relationships and chemistry. Kim did that and her particiation will have a positive lasting impact on our program."