NEW ORLEANS – It was a weekend of dominant performances, thrilling victories, meet records and more from a veteran group of collegiate cross country National Athletes of the Week announced Monday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
Of the six honorees, four are no strangers to the National Athlete of the Week program, having won at least once since the beginning of the last cross country season. Dominique Scott of Arkansas (Division I women),Emily Frith of Bellarmine (Division II women), and Drew Padgett and Lucy Cheadle of Washington (Mo.) (Division III men and women, respectively) proved once again the talent that netted them national honors in the past.
The other two? They’ve got some cache of their own as former national champions at the NJCAA and Division II levels: Robert Allen of UMass Lowell (Division I men) and Brayden Burleigh of Shippensburg (Division II men), respectively.
See what each of them did this weekend by clicking their names above or by continuing to read on below.
National Athlete of the Week is an award selected and presented by the USTFCCCA Communications Staff at the beginning of each week to six collegiate cross country athletes (male and female for each of the three NCAA divisions).
Nominations are open to the public. Coaches and sports information directors are encouraged to nominate their student-athletes; as are student-athletes, their families and friends, and fans of their programs.
The award seeks to highlight not only the very best times, marks and scores on a week-to-week basis, but also performances that were significant on the national landscape and/or the latest in a series of strong outings. Quality of competition, suspenseful finishes and other factors will also play a role in the decision.