NEW PALTZ, NY — Mahopac resident John Zarella was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the SUNY New Paltz men’s cross country team at the school’s annual Athletic Awards Banquet on May 7th.
Zarella, a senior, was the Hawks top runner in the fall. He was the top finisher for SUNY New Paltz in all seven meets this season.
Zarella’s best run of the season came at the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III Cross Country Championship at Tufts University on November 7th. He finished fifth among 236 runners with a season-best time of 26:53 to earn All-ECAC accolades for the first time in his career. His performance helped New Paltz finish 12th among 33 teams. In addition, Zarella finished 16th with a time of 27:32 at the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Championship on October 25th.
Zarella was also presented with the Kenneth F. Burda Sportsmanship Award at the banquet. The award is given to a male or female athlete, who in the estimation of the athletics department, displayed the elements of commitment, fair play, and service to his or her team.
Zarella, an accounting major at SUNY New Paltz and a member of the indoor and outdoor track and field teams, is a 2000 graduate of Mahopac High School.
