February 20, 2020 (Haverhill, MA) – Kyle Manley (Gloucester) and Abdoulfatah Abdillahi (Lawrence) have been recognized the NJCAA Cross Country Coaches Association as Scholar All-Americans for their work in the classroom during the fall 2019 semester. The coaches association awards the honor to cross country student-athletes who competed during the fall semester and who earned a grade point average of 3.4 or higher.
Manley, the team's top runner throughout the season, posted a perfect 4.00 grade point average for the fall semester. Along the way he finished 29th overall at the NJCAA Championships on November 2nd in a time of 28:21 for 8,000 meters. The time ranks as the fourth fastest all time in the history of the NECC men's cross country program.
Abdillahi, competing in the sport for the first time this past fall improved throughout the season finishing as the teams number two runner at the NJCAA Championships in a time of 31:16 which placed him 111 overall at the national championship race. In the classroom he posted a 3.55 grade point average for the fall semester.
Northern Essex Community College competes as a member of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) and sponsors 12 varsity intercollegiate sports including baseball, men's basketball, women's basketball, softball, women's volleyball, men's and women's cross country, men's soccer, Esports and men's and women's track and field. For more information on Northern Essex Community College Athletics please visit the official website of Northern Essex Athletics (www.neccknights.com).