M-F Athletic National Athletes of the Week (October 28)
NEW ORLEANS – Athletes are rising to the challenge of the postseason.
Here are our M-F Athletic National Athletes of the Week in collegiate cross country for October 28, 2024!
- NCAA Division I Men – Victor Kibet, Bethune-Cookman
- NCAA Division I Men – Shamia Jones, Alabama State
- NCAA Division II Men – Romain Legendre, Adams State
- NCAA Division II Women – Ava O’Connor, Adams State
- NCAA Division III Men – Liam Allen, Lebanon Valley
- NCAA Division III Women – Keira Rogan, Hamilton
- NAIA Men – Daniel Butler, College of Idaho
- NAIA Women – Heather Murphy, Montreat (N.C.)
- NJCAA Division I Men – Emmanuel Otim, Butler (Kan.) CC
- NJCAA Division I Women – Elizabeth Ilanda, Odessa (Texas)
- NJCAA Division II Men – David Valkanov, Waubonsee (Ill.) CC
- NJCAA Division II Women – Daisy Speet, Lansing (Mich.) CC
- NJCAA Division III Men – Paul Clark, Onondaga (N.Y.) CC
- 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 – Victor Kibet, Bethune-Cookman
Junior | Eldoret, Kenya
Victor Kibet picked the perfect time to win the first race of his collegiate career.
Kibet cruised to victory at the SWAC Championships in 25:58.4, nearly ten seconds faster than runner-up Thierry Garcon of Prairie View A&M. Kibet and Andrew Kiplagat of Jackson State were lockstep through 3k of the 8k race before Kibet threw in a surge and wouldn’t be caught.
This is the first time that an athlete from Bethune-Cookman has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the cross country season.
NCAA DIVISION I WOMEN – Shamia Jones, Alabama State
Grad Student | Albany, Georgia
It had been too long since Alabama State won the conference title – and every point matters during championship season – so Shamia Jones did her best in providing the Hornets with the ultimate low stick at Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee, Florida.
Jones captured top individual honors in 19:16.3, more than four seconds faster than Tara Bert of Florida A&M. Behind Jones, Alabama State went 3-4-9-30 for 47 points, which was just enough to hold off Bert’s Rattlers by two points for its first SWAC crown since 2019 and 16th overall.
This is the second time that a female athlete from Alabama State has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the cross country season. Jones joins Paige Rankine, who was honored in 2015 after winning the SWAC individual title, in that regard.
NCAA DIVISION II MEN – Romain Legendre, Adams State
Senior | Carpentras, France
The best performance in arguably the best conference.
What more can you ask for?
Romain Legendre stormed through the RMAC Championships on Saturday, clocking 23:33.8 on his way to a 12 second victory. Gunning for the individual title alongside the senior from Adams State were a trio of familiar faces from Colorado School of Mines: Loic Scomparin, Paul Knight, and Logan Bocovich.
Legendre first came into contact with the Oredigger trio at the 2023 NCAA Championships, where they finished 8th, 16th, and 23rd, with Legendre back in 55th. However, it was Legendre who got the last laugh, taking home the 5000-meter title at the NCAA Outdoor Championships this past spring.
This marks the fourth time in program history that a male athlete from Adams State has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the cross country season. Legendre joins Awet Beraki, Kevin Batt, and two-time honoree Sydney Gidabuday.
NCAA DIVISION II WOMEN – Ava O’Connor, Adams State
Redshirt Junior | Emo, Ireland
Loaded field? No problem for Ava O’Connor.
Seven All-Americans and eight nationally ranked teams weren’t enough to stop the redshirt junior out of Adams State from reigning victorious at the RMAC Championships. O’Connor paced the competition with a 19:28.3, nearly ten seconds ahead of anyone else on the way to her first ever cross country win.
The Grizzlies used the performance as extra motivation on their way to a commanding 58 point victory over No. 3 CSU-Pueblo. They will look to O’Connor to repeat that success at the South Central Region Championships in two weeks.
This marks the second time this season that a female athlete from Adams State has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the cross country season. O’Connor joins Maggie McCleskey who was awarded the honor on September 9, 2024.
NCAA DIVISION III MEN – Liam Allen, Lebanon Valley
Sophomore | Hanover, Pennsylvania
Liam Allen took Last Chance Run Fast to heart this past weekend.
Allen clocked an 8k PR on his home course, covering the tract in 26:46.3 – more than 16 seconds faster than teammate Alec Di Cesare. It was the first win of Allen’s collegiate career and his first time sub-27 minutes for the championship distance.
This is the first time in program history that a male athlete from Lebanon Valley has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the cross country season.
NCAA DIVISION III WOMEN – Keira Rogan, Hamilton
Freshman | Saratoga Springs, New York
Three races on her home course.
Three victories for Keira Rogan.
The Hamilton freshman continued her strong debut season by taking top individual honors at the Hamilton College Tune-up 4k in 13:50.8. That was a near 15-second improvement on the time she ran in her collegiate debut back in mid-September and she won by more than one minute.
This is the second time this season that Rogan has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the cross country season.
NAIA MEN – Daniel Butler, College of Idaho
Grad Student | Buhl, Idaho
Daniel Butler led and his College of Idaho teammates followed.
Butler snagged the individual title at the Blazing Tiger NAIA Classic this past weekend, traversing the 8k course in 23:56.1. That was 27 seconds faster than teammate and eventual runner-up Hayden Bostrom and coupled with a third-place finish by Elias Everist, the Yotes easily dispatched several other ranked programs, including No. 4 Saint Mary (Kan.).
This is the first time in program history that a male athlete from College of Idaho has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the cross country season. Butler joins female honorees Ellyse Tingelstad (three times) and Sage Martin (once) in that regard.
NAIA WOMEN – Heather Murphy, Montreat (N.C.)
Freshman | Portarlington, Ireland
Heather Murphy had quite a collegiate debut.
Murphy, running in the first race of her collegiate career, reigned at the NAIA Appalachian Challenge this past weekend. The freshman covered the 5k course in 17:18.5, winning by four seconds ahead of Milligan (Tenn.)’s Ellen-Mary Kearney, a two-time NAIA cross country All-American.
This is the first time in program history that an athlete from Montreat (N.C.) has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the cross country season.
NJCAA DIVISION I MEN – Emmanuel Otim, Butler (Kan.) CC
Freshman | Kikube, Uganda
It took about 5k of racing until Emmanuel Otim made his move in the NJCAA Region 6 Championships in Arkansas City, Kansas.
That move was decisive, as Otim ran the last 3k alone to win the 8k race in 23:40.5, 6.3 seconds ahead of his nearest pursuer.
It was the fourth win of the season for Otim, who earlier captured individual titles at the Terry Masterson Twilight Classic, Missouri Southern Stampede and Tiger Preview. His only loss this season came to runners from four-year programs in taking seventh in the Chile Pepper Festival’s McDonnell Memorial.
This is the fourth time that a male athlete from Butler CC has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week in cross country. Otim joins Adem Bouldjadj (twice in 2023) and Rodgers Rotich (2022) in that regard.
NJCAA DIVISION I WOMEN – Elizabeth Ilanda, Odessa (Texas)
Freshman | Tanzania
Winning a race by 55.8 seconds represents a substantial margin.
For Elizabeth Ilanda, that differential – which came at the NJCAA Region 5 Championships – is the closest any JUCO runner has been to her in four races this fall as she clocked 17:23.7 for 5k to post the second-fastest time on the Harry McAdams Park course in Hobbs, New Mexico.
Second fastest? That’s right – the only faster time is the 17:16.3 by Ilanda two weeks earlier to break the course record by 26.7 seconds (a record set, by the way, by Caroline Jepleting of New Mexico JC in 2009, a year when she also won the NJCAA DI Cross Country title).
This is the third time that a female athlete from Odessa has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week in cross country as Ilanda was also honored twice earlier this year.
NJCAA DIVISION II MEN – David Valkanov, Waubonsee (Ill.) CC
Freshman | Sugar Grove, Illinois
Hilly challenging courses seem to bring out the best in David Valkanov.
For the third-straight race, such a course has seen Valkanov come home victorious. The most recent was perhaps his most satisfying after going through the first two miles in 10:46 before crushing the last 2.97 miles in 15:02 to record a 31.1-second win in 25:48.6 – his fastest 8k of the year – over NJCAA DIII star Kevin Diederich of DuPage (Ill.).
That also represented the first Region 4 Championship individual title in program history.
This is the first time that a male or female athlete from Waubonsee CC has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week in cross country.
NJCAA DIVISION II WOMEN – Daisy Speet, Lansing (Mich.) CC
Freshman | Coopersville, Michigan
The Region 12 Championships’ women’s 5k was also Round 3 between two of the nation’s best in Daisy Speet – undefeated against JUCO competition this year – and reigning NJCAA DII Cross Country champion Olivia Ippel of Lake Michigan.
Speet made it nearly a no-contest in clocking 18:36.8 in Goodells, Michigan, to score a 19.1-second victory for her third win over Ippel in three meetings this fall.
This is the sixth time that a female athlete from Lansing has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week in cross country. Speet earned the honor earlier this year in joining Barbara DeGood (2022), Olivia Vanderwey (2022) and Haley Ellis (twice in 2021) in that regard.
NJCAA DIVISION III MEN – Paul Clark, Onondaga (N.Y.) CC
Freshman | Baldwinsville, New York
What can you do after winning a race by nearly two minutes?
For Paul Clark – who won the individual 8k by 1:43.7 at the NJCAA DIII Region 3 Championships in a seasonal-best 26:57.1 – it was to cheer on your teammates as Onondaga CC was in a tight 3-way team battle with SUNY Erie and defending champ Hudson Valley (N.Y.) CC.
Clark might be used to this post-race predicament, having been the leading JUCO runner by over a minute in all five of his races this fall. How did this one turn out? The No. 8 Blazers won their first team crown since 2017, scoring 56 points to top SUNY Erie by one point and Hudson Valley by three.
This is the first time that a male or female athlete from Onondaga CC has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week in cross country.
NJCAA DIVISION III WOMEN – Isabella Wojciechowski, Harper (Ill.)
Sophomore | Buffalo Grove, Illinois
Individual stars were practically everywhere at the NJCAA Region 4 Championships in Lockport, Illinois, including three athletes who collectively had been M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week six times this year.
Make that seven times, with a fourth for Isabella Wojciechowski, who ran the year’s fastest 5k by an NJCAA DIII athlete at 18:55.5. That was 12.2 seconds ahead of Carmen Solis of DuPage (Ill.) with Gabriela Zid of Joliet (Ill.) JC another 52.3 seconds back.
Wojciechowski is undefeated this year against NJCAA DIII competition and also owns the year’s fastest time in the division at 6k at 23:26.3.
This is the 20th time that a female athlete from Harper has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week in cross country. Wojciechowski earned the honor three times earlier this year in joining 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.