Gannon University Athletics

Joseph Westrick is the first true individual men's cross country runner to be inducted into the Gannon Athletics Hall of Fame. The 1967 team was previously honored and among his many accomplishments Howard "Bud" Elwell served as the head coach.
 
It's fitting that the native of Pittsburgh, Pa. is the initial harrier to be inducted. While competing from 2016-19 he accomplished a number of firsts. Most noteworthy he was Gannon's first PSAC cross country Athlete of the Year after winning Gannon's first PSAC championship in the 2019 season.
 
Westrick was Gannon's first three-time All-Region performer with a fourth-place finish at the 2019 Atlantic Region championships, earning him a spot at the NCAA Division II National Championships for the second consecutive season. He finished 81st in the NCAA Championships in 2018 and 135th in 2019.
 
Westrick earned All-PSAC honors three times (2017-19). He qualified for the NCAA Division II National Championships as a junior and senior and earned first team All-Region honors his final three seasons.
 
He fell just shy of earning All-PSAC honors as a freshman finishing 34th, then went on to finish 34th at the Atlantic Regional. He took off as a sophomore crossing the finish line in 11th place at the PSAC Championships to earn first team All-PSAC honors. As a team the Golden Knights came in seventh, the highest finish ever. Two weeks later he was accorded All-Region honors following a 19th-place showing at the Atlantic Regional.
 
Westrick emerged in the top pack of runners his final two years. In 2018 as a junior he captured fourth place at the PSAC Championships followed by a fifth-place finish at the Atlantic Regional. He led Gannon to an eighth-place finish as a team, the top showing ever by the Golden Knights.
 
After becoming the first Gannon harrier to qualify for the national championships Westrick wrapped up his stellar career with several more firsts as a senior in 2019. He won the PSAC championship with a time of 25:20.3, nine seconds ahead of his closest competitor, as Gannon finished ninth. He became a three-time All-Region performer thanks to a fourth place showing, in the process helping the Golden Knights match their eighth-place finish in 2018. Westrick went on to be named the PSAC Men's Cross Country Athlete of the Year, a first for a Gannon runner.
 
Typical of head coach John Carrig's teams, Westrick was also a standout in the classroom. He was Gannon's first NCAA Elite 90 Award recipient, receiving the honor in 2019. He was a two-time first team CoSIDA (CSC) Academic All-American, earning the honors in 2019 and again in 2020. He was also a PSAC Fall Top 10 Award recipient twice and as a senior he was named the PSAC Pete Nevins Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year. In addition, he was selected the 2019-20 D2CCA Atlantic Region Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

Westrick received his bachelor's degree in Environmental Engineering from Gannon in 2020. He resides in Pittsburgh, Pa. and is an Environmental Consultant.