USTFCCCA Awards
By USTFCCCA Communications, USTFCCCA October 3, 2022   

M-F Athletic National Athletes of the Week (Oct. 3)

NEW ORLEANS – Cross country is rolling along!

Here are our M-F Athletic National Athletes of the Week for October 3, 2022!

  • NCAA Division I Men – Victor Kiprop, Alabama
  • NCAA Division I Women – Katelyn Tuohy, NC State
  • NCAA Division II Men – Tanner Chada, Grand Valley State
  • NCAA Division II Women – Franziska Althaus, Adams State
  • NCAA Division III Men – Alex Phillip, John Carroll
  • NCAA Division III Women – Annika Urban, Emory
  • NAIA Men – Jason Bowers, Cumberland (Tenn.)
  • NAIA Women – Addy Wiley, Huntington (Ind.)
  • NJCAA Division I Men – Sanele Masondo, Colby (Kan.) CC
  • NJCAA Division I Women – Emily Diercks, Colby (Kan.) CC
  • NJCAA Division II Men – Kevin Baranoski, CCBC Essex (Md.)
  • NJCAA Division II Women – Hayley Burns, Coconino (Ariz.) CC
  • NJCAA Division III Men – Brad Ahrens, Mineral Area (Mo.) CC
  • NJCAA Division III Women – Lilly Alberts, Harper (Ill.) JC

Find out more about each of these athletes by scrolling below.

National Athlete of the Week is an award selected and presented by the USTFCCCA Communications Staff at the beginning of each week to 16 collegiate cross country athletes, when applicable (male and female for each of the three NCAA divisions, the NAIA and the NJCAA).

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. Nominated athletes are noticed before those athletes found through searching TFRRS.

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.

NCAA DIVISION I MEN – Victor Kiprop, Alabama

Sophomore | Iten, Kenya

Two races. Two wins.

Victor Kiprop is undefeated to begin the 2022 season.

Kiprop notched one of the biggest victories of his young collegiate career this past weekend when he crossed the finish line first at the Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational. He bested a talented field filled with All-Americans from both cross country and track & field by 1.5 seconds.

Other athletes in the race included 2022 NCAA DI Outdoor 10,000-meter champion Dylan Jacobs of Tennessee (who formerly competed at Notre Dame), Yaseem Abdalla of Tennessee (who was an All-American at Texas last year) and Nickolas Scudder (runner-up), among others.

This is the first time since 2019 that a male athlete from Alabama has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the cross country season (Vincent Kiprop on October 7).

NCAA DIVISION I WOMEN – Katelyn Tuohy, NC State

Sophomore | Stony Point, New York

Katelyn Tuohy likes winning.

Chances are, she also likes breaking records.

Tuohy did both this past weekend at the Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational, shattering the Burke Golf Course all-time collegiate women’s 5k best with her winning time of 15:50.0. She had a one-second lead over Mercy Chelangat of Alabama at the 4k split and then put 11 more seconds between herself and the eventual runner-up who won the individual title and finished runner-up at the past two editions of the NCAA DI Cross Country Championships.

This is the first time since 2020 that an athlete from NC State has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the cross country season (Dominique Clairmonte on October 13).

NCAA DIVISION II MEN – Tanner Chada, Grand Valley State

Senior | Hinckley, Illinois

Tanner Chada’s undefeated season continues.

The senior from Hinckley, Illinois, captured his second victory of the year, this time at the Live in Lou Cross Country Classic. Chada topped the Men’s 8k Gold section in a new personal best of 23:18.1, winning by 3.5 seconds over Ryan Kinnane of NCAA DI Auburn. The Lakers secured the team title with 104 points behind Chada’s winning effort.

This is the second time in Chada’s career that he has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the cross country season. He first earned the honor on September 30, 2019.

NCAA DIVISION II WOMEN – Franziska Althaus, Adams State

Graduate Student | Wiesbaden, Germany

Franziska Althaus shined at the Ted Castaneda Classic.

Althaus captured the individual crown this past weekend and led Adams State to a team title. The native of Wiesbaden, Germany traversed the 6k course in 21:34.8 for a 4.5 second victory over the runner-up finisher and 36.9 seconds better than the next collegian across the line. This was also the first win for Althaus on the grass circuit in a Grizzlies uniform.

This is the fifth time in program history a female athlete from Adams State has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the cross country season.

NCAA DIVISION III MEN – Alex Phillip, John Carroll

Senior | Akron, Ohio

Historically fast and Alex Phillip are synonymous.

Phillip proved that this past weekend at the Paul Short Run.

Competing in the Men’s College Gold 8k on the Goodman Campus Cross Country Course in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Phillip placed seventh in a race in which 93 athletes went sub-24 minutes. Phillip crossed the finish line in 23:14.7 and cracked the 24-minute barrier for the third time in his career (If you’re wondering about the other two: Phillip won the 2021 NCAA DIII Cross Country individual title in 23:27.6; he also blistered the same Goodman Campus Cross Country Course last year in 23:39.2 to finish sixth in the Men’s College Gold).

This is the fourth time in his career that Phillip has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the cross country season. Phillip took home three of those honors last year.

NCAA DIVISION III WOMEN – Annika Urban, Emory

Junior | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Annika Urban broke away from a talented field and kept going.

Urban won the individual title in the Women’s College Brown 6k at the Paul Short Run this past weekend by nearly 25 seconds in 20:22.9. This was a massive breakthrough for Urban, who never went sub-21 over the 6k distance prior to this effort (Urban got as close as 21:15.5 to place 12th at the 2021 NCAA DIII Cross Country Championships).

Winning has been Urban’s thing this season. Urban is undefeated through three races, capturing top individual honors at both the JSU Foothills Invitational and the Julius Johnson Invitational before this triumph.

This is the first time in program history that a female athlete from Emory has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the cross country season.

NAIA MEN – Jason Bowers, Cumberland (Tenn.)

Freshman | Parys, South Africa

Jason Bowers is proving that division doesn’t matter.

Bowers won the individual title in the Men’s 8k CC Blue at the Live in Lou Cross Country Classic this past weekend, trouncing a field composed of NCAA DI, NCAA DII, NCAA DIII and NAIA athletes by nearly 16 seconds. He crossed the finish line in 23:51.7, which was just off the time he used to place seventh at the North Alabama Showcase two weeks ago (23:51.6).

It was an eye-opening victory for the freshman, who is 2-1 this season and will hope to continue the momentum all the way to the 2022 NAIA Cross Country Championships on November 18 in Tallahassee, Florida.

NAIA WOMEN – Addy Wiley, Huntington (Ind.)

Freshman | Huntington, Indiana

Addy Wiley had quite the collegiate debut.

Wiley captured the individual title in the Women’s 5k CC Blue at the Live in Lou Cross Country Classic this past weekend in a time of 17:26.1. She beat fellow freshman Noel VanderWall of Taylor (Ind.) by 8.5 seconds. Wiley was seven seconds behind the leader at the 2.1k split before working her way up the pack and then away from the field.

You might know Wiley’s name from earlier this summer when she decommitted from NCAA DI Colorado to run for her hometown university. Wiley is the high school national-record holder over 1600 meters at 4:26.16 and finished fifth in the 1500m at the World U20 Championships.

NJCAA DIVISION I MEN – Sanele Masondo, Colby (Kan.) CC

Sophomore | Kwazulu Natal, South Africa

Sanele Masondo ran away from everyone to win the McDonnell Memorial race at the Chile Pepper Festival, taking the title by eight seconds in 23:18.4 for 8k.

In his wake was a field that included NCAA Division I athletes as well as a notable NJCAA rival in Rodgers Rotich of Butler (Kan.) CC and last year’s NJCAA DI runner-up Aspel Kiprob of Iowa Central CC.

This is Masondo’s second honor as the M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week, having also been named two weeks ago after his victory at the Greeno/Dirksen Invitational. He joins Wesley Banguria as a male athlete to be a multiple winner from Colby.

NJCAA DIVISION I WOMEN – Emily Diercks, Colby (Kan.) CC

Sophomore | Hoxie, Kansas

Emily Diercks left no doubt who would win the Prairie Fire Pepper women’s race at the Chile Pepper Festival. A little after a mile she took off and won by 15 seconds in 17:17.1 for 5k.

Diercks was the top JUCO runner two weeks ago in the Greeno/Dirksen Invitational, earning that distinction by 20 seconds. She ran more than a minute faster at Chile Pepper.

Diercks is the third female athlete from Colby to be named the M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the cross country season.

NJCAA DIVISION II MEN – Kevin Baranoski, CCBC Essex

Freshman | Fallston, Maryland

Kevin Baranoski jumped in the biggest race of his collegiate career and ran his fastest 8K ever – 24:36.4 as the highest-finishing JUCO athlete in the Paul Short Run open division.

Undefeated this year by JUCO competition, Baranoski was the leading JUCO runner last week at the Lock Haven Invitational after winning the Lebanon Valley Dutchmen Invitational in early September.

Baranoski is the first athlete from CCBC Essex to be named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the cross country season.

NJCAA DIVISION II WOMEN – Hayley Burns, Coconino (Ariz.) CC

Freshman | Bozeman, Montana

To say Hayley Burns was on fire would be putting it mildly.

She didn’t just win the Mesa College Jamboree – she set a course record by more than 30 seconds and defeated a previous M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week by 21 seconds in 17:53.4 for 5K.

Burns is the first athlete from Coconino to be named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the cross country season.

NJCAA DIVISION III MEN – Brad Ahrens, Mineral Area (Mo.) CC

Freshman | Imperial, Missouri

Brad Ahrens’ first taste of collegiate victory was just 1.4 seconds away.

Still, his runner-up finish at the H.W. Wright Classic spoiled host NCAA DIII Millikin’s attempt for a perfect score.

Earlier this year Ahrens was the leading JUCO runner at the Illinois-Springfield Prairie Star Invitational and Southeast Missouri Redhawks Invitational.

Ahrens is the third male athlete from Mineral Area to be honored as M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the cross country season.

NJCAA DIVISION III WOMEN – Lilly Alberts, Harper (Ill.)

Freshman | Richmond, Illinois

Lilly Alberts is a repeat honoree as M-F Athletic National Athlete of Week.

Deservedly so once again.

Alberts ran away with a victory at the Warrior Invitational by 26 seconds over a field that included runners from NCAA DI Northwestern. Her time was 24:12.8, the second week in a row she has been tested over 6K.

Alberts – the fourth woman from Harper to be named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week in cross country – joins Ali Gutt (2016) and Misbah Baig (2017) as repeat honorees for the Hawks.