CT College’s LeDuc NESCAC XC Performer of the Week

NEW
LONDON, Conn.–College senior All-American Michael LeDuc of Canton, Conn. has
been honored as the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Men‰Ûªs
Cross Country Performer of the Week.

LeDuc
posted a time of 24:21 to win the NCAA Division III Regional Championship
hosted by the University of Southern Maine at the Narragansett School Saturday.

LeDuc
automatically qualified for this week‰Ûªs NCAA Championship that will be hosted
by Hanover College. The Men‰Ûªs Championship is scheduled to get underway this
Saturday at 12:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time with live coverage available on
NCAA.com.

With
150 meters remaining in the race Saturday, LeDuc was able to pass Colin Cotton
of Williams College to pull out the victory. LeDuc is the first man or woman at
Connecticut College to win a Division III Regional Cross Country Championship.

The
victory comes on the heels of his victory at the NESCAC Championship back on
November 2. With that triumph in Waterford, LeDuc was honored as the NESCAC
Performer of the Year.

Connecticut
College Head Men‰Ûªs Cross Country Coach Jim Butler was proud of his runner‰Ûªs
accomplishment and is already looking ahead with enthusiasm to next week‰Ûªs
national championship in the Hoosier State of Indiana.

‰ÛÏMike‰Ûªs trained all year to put himself in the position to
run well in the last few races of the year and now he has one race to go,‰Û
Butler said.  ‰ÛÏHe‰Ûªs in great and mental
physical shape to compete. We‰Ûªre hoping for a great result out in
Hanover.‰Û 

LeDuc believes that the confidence that Coach Butler and
Assistant Coach Jeff Morin have instilled in him has been one of the underlying
factors in his success this fall.

‰ÛÏConfidence plays a large role in my performance out there,‰Û
LeDuc said Saturday. ‰ÛÏThe difference this season has been an extra level of
confidence that I possess. The NCAA Championship is the one I‰Ûªve been
envisioning since the summer. I can‰Ûªt wait and I certainly hope to keep my
winning streak alive.‰Û

LeDuc enjoyed a memorable 2012-2013
for the Camel Athletic Program.

He
captured the College‰Ûªs third NCAA Championship in La Crosse, Wis. in May,
topping his own school record with a time of 8:50.58 in the 3000 meter
steeplechase.

LeDuc
also ran the 5000 meters at the 2013 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championship,
finishing 18th in that run with a time of 14:56.11.

LeDuc
continued to pile up the honors and awards over the summer. In June, LeDuc was
named to the Capital One Academic Men‰Ûªs Cross Country/Track & Field First
Team in Division III as selected by The College Sports Information Directors of
America (CoSIDA).

He
was also honored as one of the Scholar Athletes of the Year in Division III for
the 2013 men‰Ûªs track & field season by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross
Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

LeDuc
successfully defended his New England Division III crown in the 5000 meters at
Colby College May 4, shattering a facility record that had stood for more than
two decades with a time of 14:30.03.

Back in March, LeDuc earned All-America
honors for the fourth time in his career at the 2013 NCAA Indoor Track &
Field Championship, posting a time of 14:31.80 en route to his third place
finish at North Central College.

In
November of 2012, LeDuc turned in an All-American performance with a 13th place
finish in 24:48 at the NCAA Division III Cross Country Championship hosted by
the Rose-Holman Institute of Technology.

It
established a program record for the highest finish for a Connecticut College
men‰Ûªs cross country runner at a national championship.

LeDuc
garnered All-America accolades in the 3000 meter steeplechase at the 2012 NCAA
Outdoor Track & Field Championship in Claremont, Calif. He posted a school
record setting time of 8:59.54 en route to a fourth place finish, moving up two
spots from his All-America finish in 2011.

In
the classroom, the botany major has been recognized on the NESCAC All-Academic
Team during the past six seasons.