Liberty League Release | RPI Fanshop

TROY, N.Y. - Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) student-athlete Ben Fazio has been named the Liberty League Men's Cross Country Runner of the Year and RPI head coach John Lynch, along with assistants Kailyn Balzano and Nick Marcantonio, has earned the conference's Coaching Staff of the Year award, it has been announced. 

A senior captain, Fazio (East Greenwich, RI / East Greenwich) won the Liberty League individual title in 25:22.5 (8K), good for a four-second victory over sophomore teammate Grant O'Connor. Fazio was also the league's top finisher at the NCAA Atlantic Regional, placing second in a field of 303 runners, and went on to finish 70th of 278 at the NCAA Championship, helping RPI to a school-record 13th-place finish.

The materials engineering major won the Saratoga Invitational (172 runners) and had third place finishes at Siena College (62) and Williams College (284). Fazio was fourth of 374 competitors at Rowan University and fifth of 238 at Vassar College.

In addition to earning All-Region and All-Liberty League, Fazio, a two-time NCAA All-America, was a four-time selection as the conference's Performer of the Week.

Lynch and his staff were recognized after guiding the Engineers to the Liberty League Championship, breaking a string of 21 straight titles captured by St. Lawrence University. RPI had four of the top five finishers and seven of the top 12 - each earning All-League - in compiling 22 team points - 40 points ahead of the second place team.

Rensselaer placed second of 44 teams at the NCAA Atlantic Regional, which earned an automatic berth to the NCAA Championship. At the national meet with O'Connor earning All-America as the 25th individual finisher. 

The Engineers began the season with a win in a five-school, multi-divisional meet at Siena College before taking second place at Vassar (14 schools). RPI was fifth of 24 schools at Williams before winning the 14-school Saratoga Invitational (14) and placing third of 40 at Rowan.

RPI's roster consists of 12 freshmen, eight sophomores, four juniors and six seniors and the Engineers boasted 12 Liberty League All-Academic honorees.

Lynch, who has won Coaching Staff of the Year in women's cross country each of the past two seasons, joined the Rensselaer staff in 2011. The Clifton Park, N.Y., native also coaches the distance events on the women's and men's track & field teams,

Lynch led the SUNY Plattsburgh cross country programs for six seasons prior to coming to Troy, including the last three as the Director of Track & Field and Cross Country. While leading the Cardinals, he coached 24 NCAA All-Americas, 38 automatic and provisional qualifiers, 59 all-conference honorees and 20 league champions in cross country and track.