M-F Athletic National Athletes of the Week (Sept. 16, 2024)
NEW ORLEANS – Let’s get to racing.
Here are our M-F Athletic National Athletes of the Week for September 16.
- NCAA Division I Men – Evans Kurui, Washington State
- NCAA Division I Women – Brynn Brown, North Carolina
- NCAA Division II Men – Caleb Futter, GVSU
- NCAA Division II Women – Reagan Justice, Wayne State (Mich.)
- NCAA Division III Men – Nick Lyndaker, St. Lawrence
- NCAA Division III Women – Riley Buese, Lewis & Clark
- NAIA Men – Bryn Woodall, Milligan (Tenn.)
- NAIA Women – Hannah Fredericks, The Master’s (Calif.)
- NJCAA Division I Men – Mohammed El Youssfi, Odessa (Texas)
- NJCAA Division I Women – Elizabeth Ilanda, Odessa (Texas)
- NJCAA Division II Men – Morgon Brindley, Bismarck State (N.D.)
- NJCAA Division II Women – Darcy Vineyard, UA Rich Mountain (Ark.)
- NJCAA Division III Men – Kevin Diederich, College of DuPage (Ill.)
- NJCAA Division III Women – Isabella Wojciechowski, Harper (Ill.)
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 14 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 – Evans Kurui, Washington State
Freshman | Eldoret, Kenya
Evans Kurui is off to a historic start to his freshman year.
The Washington State standout posted back-to-back victories in his first two meets, winning by more than 50 seconds each time. Kurui’s most recent victory, a near 55-second triumph at the WSU Cougar Classic, resulted in a course record-breaking mark of 22:46.7. That took down a standard formerly held by three-time NCAA cross country champion Edward Cheserek by 20 seconds (Cheserek set the previous best on the course at the 2015 Pac-12 Championships).
This is the first time in program history that an athlete from Washington State has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the cross country season.
NCAA DIVISION I WOMEN – Brynn Brown, North Carolina
Senior | Denton, Texas
Three seasons. Three victories.
Brynn Brown added another individual title to her ledger with a triumph at the Virginia Invitational this past weekend. Brown covered the 5k course at Panorama Farms in 16:32.2, edging teammate Fatima Alanis by 2.7 seconds and leading North Carolina to the team title.
The native Texan hopes to get back to where she was in the fall of 2022 after a truncated season last year. Two years ago, Brown finished right outside of All-America contention at the NCAA DI Cross Country Championships when they were held in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
NCAA DIVISION II MEN – Caleb Futter, Grand Valley State
Senior | New Albany, Indiana
It’s not often that a cross country race comes down to a sprint finish.
Fortunately for Grand Valley State, Caleb Futter drew the number one stick. Hailing from New Albany, Indiana, the Lakers’ veteran went head-to-head with Michigan State’s Alexander Penski over 8k, crossing the line in 24:42.3, to beat his challenger by one second.
Futter has already amassed a heck of a career, highlighted by back-to-back All-American honors at the 2022 and 2023 NCAA Championships.
This is the fifth time in program history that a male athlete from Grand Valley State has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the Cross Country season. Futter joins Isaac Harding, Zach Panning, and two-time winner Tanner Chada.
NCAA DIVISION II WOMEN – Reagan Justice, Wayne State (Mich.)
Senior | Canton, Michigan
Saturday morning was a walk in the park for Reagan Justice.
The senior out of Wayne State (Mich.) covered the WSU Warrior Challenge course in 21:41.9 to reign victorious for a second consecutive year. Justice redefined the concept of home team advantage, gapping the rest of the field by 1:28. Mind you, a field that featured a trio of nationally ranked NAIA programs in #16 Grace (Ind.), #17 Cornerstone (Mich.), and Goshen (Ind.) who is currently receiving votes.
Justice is no stranger to a position at the front either, leading the Warriors in all but two of their races through the 2023 cross country campaign. Her accolades from last year also include Midwest All-Region honors and a 90th place finish at the NCAA DII Cross Country Championships. Now, she’ll tackle a difficult task: improving on an already impressive resume.
This marks the first time in program history that a female athlete fromWayne State (Mich.) has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the cross country season.
NCAA DIVISION III MEN – Nick Lyndaker, St. Lawrence
Junior | Canton, New York
When a meet goes to a tiebreaker, you can’t get much better than No. 1.
Nick Lyndaker provided St. Lawrence with the ultimate low stick this past weekend at the Hamilton College Short Course. Lyndaker traversed the 5k course in 15:10.7, which buoyed an eventual team-title victory for the Saints. St. Lawrence topped Hamilton 3-2 on the countback.
This is the second year in a row that an athlete from St. Lawrence has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the cross country season. Lyndaker joins Michael Skutt in that regard (Skutt was honored last year on September 12).
NCAA DIVISION III WOMEN – Riley Buese, Lewis & Clark
Senior | Denver, Colorado
Riley Buese and her teammates scratched a seven-year itch.
Buese won going away at the Ash Creek XC Festival and led Lewis & Clark to its first team victory since September 1, 2017. The Colorado native covered the 5k course in 18:01.9, winning by nearly 27 seconds over teammate Malia Heien as the Pioneers beat Willamette by 12 points.
This is the first time in program history that an athlete from Lewis & Clark has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the cross country season.
NAIA MEN – Bryn Woodall, Milligan (Tenn.)
Senior | Conwy, Wales
Bryn Woodall is ready to make his senior year one to remember.
Woodall opened his final cross country season with a fourth-place finish at the Firetower Project this past weekend. He traversed the 8k course in 24:04.0, which was an 11-place improvement over where he finished last year at the same meet. Woodall’s low stick also helped NAIA No. 1 Milligan (Tenn.) to a third-place team finish behind Appalachian State and Augusta (Ga.).
This is the third year in a row that an athlete from Milligan (Tenn.) has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the cross country season. Woodall joins Will Stockley (October 9, 2023) and Ellen Mary Kearney (September 26, 2023) in that regard.
NAIA WOMEN – Hannah Fredericks, The Master’s (Calif.)
Senior | Santa Clarita, California
Hannah Fredericks, we meet again.
Fredericks earned her third career M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week honor during the cross country season thanks to a victory at the Biola (Calif.) Invitational this past weekend. Fredericks broke the tape at the end of the 5k course in 17:03.3 to win by eight seconds over teammate Ellen Palmgren. That 1-2 finish helped The Master’s (Calif.) to the team title.
NJCAA DIVISION I MEN – Mohammed El Youssfi, Odessa (Texas)
Freshman | Morocco
Odessa is back!
That message was clear after Mohammed El Youssfi finished third as the top JUCO athlete in the Texas Tech Red Raider Open. El Youssfi covered 8k in 24:11.6 at the Lubbock Christian Cross Country Course, finishing behind a pair from host Texas Tech. It was El Youssifi’s first U.S. collegiate competition of any kind.
Odessa, a track & field powerhouse in the 1970s through the mid-1990s, is in rebuilding mode. The Wranglers last competed in the NJCAA Cross Country Championships in 2011.
This is the first time that a male athlete from Odessa has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week in cross country.
NJCAA DIVISION I WOMEN – Elizabeth Ilanda, Odessa (Texas)
Freshman | Tanzania
What a debut!
Elizabeth Ilanda was unknown to most prior to the start of the Texas Tech Red Raider Open. By the end of her collegiate racing debut she amazed many with her runner-up finish, covering the 6K tract at the Lubbock Christian Cross Country Course in 21:02.2. The only runner ahead of her was Texas Tech’s Juliet Cherubet, who finished fifth in the NCAA DI Outdoor 5000 meters in June.
Ilanda is the leading runner for the Wranglers, which last competed in the NJCAA Cross Country Championships in 2011. Odessa’s harrier history includes a former NJCAA DI individual champion in Tigest Moreda in 1993.
This is the first time that a female athlete from Odessa has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week in cross country.
NJCAA DIVISION II MEN – Morgon Brindley, Bismarck State (N.D.)
Sophomore | Bismarck, North Dakota
Morgon Brindley was the highest-finishing JUCO runner in the MSU Moorhead Dragon Twilight, finishing 24th in 18:59.6 for 6K as Bismarck State finished third in a race with four-year programs.
Brindley is the top returner for the Mystics, which surprised many last year with an eighth-place finish at the NJCAA DII Cross Country Championships, where Brindley was 36th.
This is the third time that a male athlete from Bismarck State has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week in cross country. Brindley joins Eric Hasby (once each in 2022 and 2023) in that regard.
NJCAA DIVISION II WOMEN – Darcy Vineyard, UA Rich Mountain (Ark.)
Freshman | Claremore, Oklahoma
Darcy Vineyard’s first collegiate cross country season has seen her race three straight weeks, each as the top-finishing JUCO athlete.
In her most recent competition, Vineyard finished ninth in the Steve Guymon Invitational, clocking 19:31.0 for the 5k at Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas. Prior to that she had led the Bucks at the Bob Gravett Invitational and Central Arkansas Bear Invitational.
This is the first time that a female or male athlete from UA Rich Mountain has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week in cross country.
NJCAA DIVISION III MEN – Kevin Diederich, College of DuPage (Ill.)
Sophomore | Elmhurst, Illinois
Kevin Diederich is back, and that’s good news for the College of DuPage cross country team.
Diederich finished 12th in the Aurora Spartan Classic, covering 8K in 26:48.7 as the only runners ahead of him were from North Central (Ill.), merely the No. 6-ranked squad in NCAA Division III.
Diederich was runner-up in last year’s NJCAA DIII Cross Country Championships, leading the Chaps to a second-place team finish. In May he swept the 5000 and 10,000 meters at the NJCAA DIII Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
This is the fourth time that a male athlete from DuPage has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week in cross country. Diederich joins Nicholas Keeling (three times in 2022) in that regard.
NJCAA DIVISION III WOMEN – Isabella Wojciechowski, Harper (Ill.)
Sophomore | Buffalo Grove, Illinois
Isabella Wojciechowski is much faster than last year.
How much? Both of her 6K race times this month are more than two minutes faster than in 2023, when she was a member of the national champion Hawks in the NJCAA DIII Cross Country Championships. In her most recent effort, Wojciechowski was the leading JUCO athlete at Concordia Wisconsin’s Ken Weidt Classic, finishing 14th in 24:18.4 for 6K.
Wojciechowski was also a member of Harper’s championship team in outdoor track & field in May, winning the 10,000 meters and adding a runner-up finish in the 5000. Her twin sister Claudia also scored in both races and was actually the faster of the two last year in cross country.
This is the 17th time that a female athlete from Harper has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week in cross country. Wojciechowski joins Lilly Alberts (four times in 2023, three times in 2022), Rachel Temple (2018), Misbah Baig (twice in 2017) and Ali Gutt (five times in 2016, once in 2015) in that regard.