Hall of Fame
RIT’s first two-time cross country All-American, John Wagner also excelled in academics. Recipient of the Ellingson Award for academic excellence by a student athlete, he maintained a 3.81 grade point average in mechanical engineering. Twice the Lodi, N.Y., native (South Seneca High School) won Empire Athletic Association (EAA) cross country titles, and in 1987 he was named EAA Male Athlete of the Year for an individual sport. He was also the first RIT runner to capture an Eastern College Athletic Conference crown, helping guide the Tigers to their first title with a record-low team score of 16 points. A perfect score (shutout) is 15 points. Wagner is the first RIT runner to earn four first-team Upstate New York Championship honors. Twice named RIT’s Outstanding Runner, Wagner set the freshman 1,500-meter mark with a time of 3:56.7.
