By: Scott Eddy, Assistant Athletics Director for Strategic Communications
ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. – St. Bonaventure redshirt senior Clay Peets and freshman Jillian Lozo have earned 'Harrier of the Year' honors as the top men's and women's cross country performers of the 2025 season.
Established this season by head coach Bob Macfarlane to honor the season's top cross country runners, this year's accolade goes to two student-athletes who led the Bonnies pack in every meet this fall.
"Both our men's and women's cross country runners have shown incredible dedication and perseverance this season. The new Harrier Award isn't just about raw speed or finishing times; it's about consistency, mental toughness, and setting a standard for excellence," Macfarlane said. "These athletes have embodied the core values of cross country—persistence, heart, and self-discipline—every time they stepped onto the field of competition. Their hard work and leadership, both on and off the course, have earned them this recognition, and I couldn't be prouder of their achievements."
Peets put together the finest single-season in Bonnies men's cross country history, winning three meets while finishing second in another. He broke his own school records in all but one meet this season and became the first Bonaventure men's cross country student-athlete to achieve Atlantic 10 All-Conference status with his finish at the A-10 Championship meet earlier this month.
At the season-opening Little Three Championship in September, he led wire-to-wire with a program record time of 14:28 to win by over 16 seconds on the Bonnies 5K home course. Two weeks later at the Lock Haven Invitational, he broke his existing 8K record with a run of 24:15 to finish second out of 209 competitors.
He won again at the Louisville Cross Country Classic and set another program-best time of 24:12 as he won that meet by over 36 seconds in a field of more than 425 runners, helping the Bonnies to take third out of 41 teams. He then set the Bonnies benchmark 8K time of 23:56 when he scorched the field of 320 competitors in the meet at Gettysburg, leading wire-to-wire for the second consecutive race to win by more than 14 seconds as the Bonnies placed second out of 34 squads.
After achieving All A-10 accolades at the conference meet with a 14th-place finish there, he broke his own 10K record with the best-ever finish by a Bonnies men's runner at NCAA Northeast Regionals as he ran the New Hampshire course in 30:42 to place 61st out of over 250 of the region's top athletes.
He also achieved Atlantic 10 Performer of the Week honors twice for his efforts.
Lozo made an impact from her very first collegiate meet, placing fifth overall at the Little Three Championship with a time of 18:58. In so doing, she became the ninth Bonnies women's cross country runner to break the 19-minute barrier in a 5K race.
At Lock Haven, she helped the Bonnies to a 10th-place team finish out of 21 squads with a run of 23:04 in the 6K event to finish 46th out of 182 competitors and be crowned the Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week.
Two weeks later in Louisville, she placed 71st in the field of nearly 430 runners with a 6K run of 23:20.
Lozo recorded her PR of 22:31 when she finished 20th out of over 300 student-athletes running in Gettysburg as the Bonnies finished sixth out of 33 squads. That vaulted her to fourth in the program record book. She followed that up by pacing the Bonnies in both her first Atlantic 10 and Northeast Regional championship races.
Along with this year's award-winners, Macfarlane has named the top runners from each season during his Bonnies coaching tenure dating to 2010. Current student-athletes Aiden Scattergood (2024) and Mia Winters (2023 and 2024) were honored as well along with Peets also capturing the 2023 award.
Honorees from previous seasons include:
2010: Jimmy Burton, Elizabeth Moran
2011: Nick Masiello, Hannah Robinson
2012: Harley Thompson, Kerry Caher
2013: Harley Thompson, Kerry Caher
2014: Nick Masiello, Kerry Caher
2015: Joe Ferencik, Hailey Gattuso
2016: Ben Collins, Sydney Beeman
2017: Levi Malone, Emily Izydorczak
2018: John Pullano, Emily Izydorczak
2019: William Delaney, Sydney Beeman
2020: Zane Courtwright, Emma Larkman
2021: Clay Peets, Lindsey Clawson
2022: Darion Gregory, Jenna Gregory
-----
For the latest news on St. Bonaventure athletics, stay connected on social media. Follow the Bonnies on Twitter @GoBonnies and get cross country and track updates @BonniesXCTrack. Keep up with the Bonnies on Facebook /GoBonnies and on Instagram @GoBonnies.
