San Francisco, CA --- Sophomore Amos Maru, Academy of Art University's top finisher all season long, was named 2009 Pacific West Conference Runner of the Year and Newcomer of the Year this past weekend. Last season, Maru was instrumental in the Urban Knights' journey to their first PacWest Championship in school history. The announcement was made on Sunday, August 1, 2010, by the conference media office in Phoenix, AZ.

"Amos obviously brings a lot of talent to the team, but what he has and other runners can learn from, is a fearless approach to racing," Interim Head Coach Anne Ricketts said. "He has great racing instincts. When the gun goes off in a cross country race, he immediately gets in the position that he feels he should be in and holds on. He doesn't sit back and wait to see who else is going to control the race, he takes control of his own race. I admire that and I think we can all learn from his approach. As an upperclassman who has been competing since he was young, he has a lot of experience to share with others on the team."

Of the five meets that AAU qualified for in 2009, Maru captured the best placement of any of his teammates each time. He began the season with a 3rd place result at the San Francisco Invitational on Sept. 5 and proceeded to up the ante at the University of Washington Sundodger Invite on Sept. 19. Maru's 1st place finish in Seattle, WA was the first of his career and propelled the Urban Knights to a 2nd place mark overall.

Maru received PacWest Men's Cross Country Runner of the Week honors for that performance, but he was far from done. One week later, the sophomore competed against some of the top runners in the country at the Stanford Invitational on Sept. 26. There he posted a new personal best (24:44) and took home a 16th place individual finish.

The PacWest Conference Championships came to San Francisco, CA on Oct. 31 and Maru certainly saved his best for last. Not only was Maru's final time a full 30 seconds better than any other runner, but he helped Academy of Art University earn the league champion crown at the end of the day.

"His performance was integral to us winning the title," Ricketts said. "I think Amos and the whole team knew that he should win it, and if Amos just ran a sold race, he would. Honestly, it's not easy to lead a race from start to finish, it's scary, and it's easier to follow and let someone else do the work, so I was proud of him that he was confident enough in his talent and fitness to be aggressive and lead from the start."

In the Urban Knights' historic first official year as a member of the PacWest, Maru now adds 2009 Runner of the Year and Newcomer of the Year honors to his sparkling resume. It has been a magical ride for the Nandi Hills, Kenya native and he has bright future with the 2010 campaign right around the corner.

"I hope that the success Amos experienced in 2009 will help him approach large races like Stanford or Western Washington with the same confidence as he approached the PacWest Championship," Coach Ricketts said. "Amos can run in the front of the pack with the big shot Division I runners, and he needs to go into this 2010 season expecting that from himself. "

Additionally, Academy of Art University Cross Country Head Coach Victor Hudson earned 2009 PacWest Men's Cross Country Coach of the Year. In his inaugural season with the Urban Knights, Hudson led the men's team to its first conference title (also the first in Academy of Art history) and also helped the women's team finish 4th overall at the PacWest Championships.

Check out the PacWest Conference press release here!