BENNINGTON, Vt. – Southern Vermont College freshman Davante Smith (Ellenville, N.Y.) has once again been named the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) Men's Cross Country Rookie of the Week as he reeled in the honor for the period ending October 2, 2016 as released by the league on Monday.

This marks the third-straight week that Smith has picked up the Conference's rookie accolade. He earned it with a terrific showing at Saturday's Keene State College Invitational, coming through the line to post a 28:14. That was good enough to place fourth for the Mountaineers and be a new personal-best time for the rookie; it also moved him up into a three-way tie for eighth on SVC's all-time 8k record list.

In now its fifth week of the 2016 program, no other Conference team has earned men's cross country honors as SVC once again swept the awards; Mountaineer junior captain Marc Brandmeyer (Bennington, Vt.) was honored as the NECC Runner of the Week for the fourth time this year on Monday as well, the sixth time in his career that he has taken the league's top weekly laurel. He chalked up a 26:39 for his best showing this season, taking 1:03 off his previous-best mark in an 8k. That saw him place ninth overall and first for Southern Vermont to help the Mountaineers take fifth in the team standings.

SVC will be receiving no men's cross country weekly laurels next Monday as the team takes this weekend off, getting ready for Western New England University's Golden Bear Invitational set to take place at 11:15 a.m. on Saturday, October 15.

– #LetsGoSVC –