USTFCCCA Awards
By USTFCCCA Communications, USTFCCCA January 27, 2025   

M-F Athletic National Athletes of the Week (January 27, 2025)

NEW ORLEANS — Keep those all-time marks coming!

Here are our M-F Athletic National Athletes of the Week for January 27, 2025.

  • NCAA Division I Men – Trey Knight, CSUN
  • NCAA Division I Women – Wilma Nielsen, Oregon
  • NCAA Division II Men – Ryan Hartman, Augustana (S.D.)
  • NCAA Division II Women – Helen Braybrook, CSU Pueblo
  • NCAA Division III Men – Landen Liu, Bethel (Minn.)
  • NCAA Division III Women – Lauren Jarrett, UW-La Crosse
  • NAIA Men – Daniel Williams, Life (Ga.)
  • NAIA Women – Ellen-Mary Kearney, Milligan (Tenn.)
  • NJCAA Men – Mohamed Dahmouch, Iowa Central CC
  • NJCAA Women – Juliana Sakat, Iowa Western CC

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 – Trey Knight, CSUN

Senior | Throws
Ridgefield, Washington

Trey Knight only needed three attempts this past weekend at the Nevada Invitational & Multi to do something that no collegian had done since “Uptown Funk” topped the Billboard Hot 100 in 2015: throw the weight farther than 24.65m (80-1½). Notice we said “farther” in that sentence.

Knight launched the 35-pound implement 24.87m (81-7¼) to become the third best performer in collegiate history behind Michael Lihrman at 25.58m (83-11¼) and Kibwe Johnson at 25.08m (82-3½). It also made Knight the eighth best performer in world history, too.

Look at this field series: 23.47m, 23.00m, 24.87m, 24.05m, 23.42m, foul. Knight’s third throw put him into legendary company and his fourth would have topped the current collegiate list.

This is the first time in program history that an athlete from CSUN has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the indoor season.

NCAA DIVISION I WOMEN – Wilma Nielsen, Oregon

Senior | Mid-Distance
Gothenburg, Sweden

Welcome to the record book, Wilma Nielsen.

The Oregon standout via Washington and Bradley became the third fastest performer in collegiate history in the mile with her 4:25.89 effort this past weekend at the Dr. Sander Scorcher. Nielsen now only trails record-holder Katelyn Tuohy (4:24.26) and 2024 The Bowerman finalist Maia Ramsden (4:24.83) on the all-time collegiate chart.

And wouldn’t you know that Nielsen and Tuohy were in the same race inside the Armory Track & Field Center. So, Nielsen was literally running with history on Saturday. Nielsen and Tuohy broke away from the pack once pacer Brooke Feldmeier stepped off the track at 809 meters, but Tuohy proved too strong down the stretch as she beat Nielsen, 4:25.54 to 4:25.89.

This is the fifth time in program history that a female athlete from Oregon has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the indoor season. Nielsen joins four-time honoree and 2017 The Bowerman winner Raevyn Rogers and 2023 honoree Jordine van Klinken in that regard (Rogers earned a pair of honors in 2016 and then another on this week in 2017).

NCAA DIVISION II MEN – Ryan Hartman, Augustana (S.D.)

Senior | Distance
Wausau West

When the only name in front of yours is David Ribich, you’re in pretty good company in NCAA DII history. 

Augustana (S.D.)’s very own Ryan Hartman holds that position in the 1000 meters after busting out 2:23.36 at the Jim Emmerich Alumni Meet. In a hotly contested race, the senior defeated a trio from Iowa Central CC, placing him second on the NCAA DII all-conditions list. 

Hartman is still chasing an ever-elusive national title. The senior came up just short of his first at the 2024 NCAA DII Cross Country Championships, where he finished second. That strength should pay dividends when championships season approaches. 

This marks the first time in program history that an athlete from Augustana (S.D.) has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the indoor season.

NCAA DIVISION II WOMEN – Helen Braybrook, CSU Pueblo

Senior | Mid-Distance
Frieston, United Kingdom

Helen Braybrook put together a distance double for the ages. 

Over a 24 hour span, the senior out of CSU Pueblo rattled off 1:30.40 in the 600 meters and 2:05.44 in the 800 meters at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Invitational. An NCAA DII record and the fourth best mark on the DII all-time list, respectively. Impressive to say the least.

Braybrook, who hadn’t raced collegiately since the 2023 NCAA DII Outdoor Championships, has now set personal bests in her first three races back. It sure helps to be seeded with professional talent, as this weekend athletes from Atlanta Track Club Elite and Brooks Beasts TC provided an extra challenge, setting the pace just ahead. 

This marks the first time in program history that a female athlete from CSU Pueblo has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the indoor season.

NCAA DIVISION III MEN – Landen Liu, Bethel (Minn.)

Junior | Sprints
Blaine, Minnesota

Landen Liu thought 6.67 was so nice that he ran it twice.

Liu sizzled the straight in both the prelims and finals at the Jack Johnson Classic to become the second fastest performer in NCAA DIII history behind UW-La Crosse star Sam Blaskowski. The Bethel (Minn.) standout blew away the field, posting the best time in the prelims by 0.07 seconds and then beating professional athlete Brandon Carnes by 0.06 seconds in the final.

It was a smashing debut for Liu, who is already a five-time All-American on the track.

This is the first time in program history that a male athlete from Bethel (Minn.) has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the indoor season.

NCAA DIVISION III WOMEN – Lauren Jarrett, UW-La Crosse

Junior | Sprints
La Crosse, Wisconsin

Step aside, Wadeline Jonathas.

Lauren Jarrett is now the fastest woman in NCAA DIII history.

Jarrett shattered Jonathas’s six-year-old NCAA DIII record in the 60 meters with her 7.37 clocking this past weekend at the Pat Healy Classic. The UW-La Crosse standout originally took down the record in the prelims and then matched that mark to win the final going away.

And just a few events later, Jarrett returned to the track to win the 200 meters in 24.26, more than one second ahead of the runner-up. Jarrett, who is a three-time NCAA sprint champion, set a new indoor PR, school record and facility record in the process.

This is the second year in a row that Jarrett has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the indoor season. Jarrett was previously honored on February 13, 2024.

NAIA MEN – Daniel Williams, Life (Ga.)

Senior | Sprints
Georgetown, Guyana

For Daniel Williams, an NAIA record by itself wasn’t enough at Clemson’s Orange & Purple Invitational.

Williams won his section of the 200 meters by nearly a full second in 20.88 to set the NAIA record, bettering the mark of 20.94 set in December by Kamron Neal of Oklahoma Panhandle State.

Some three hours later, Williams took the baton for the anchor leg of the 4×400 relay. Running alone, he registered the race’s fastest split at 46.69 in bringing home the Running Eagles in a time of 3:12.10 that makes Life the No. 3 program in NAIA indoor history on a track that wasn’t oversized.

This is the second time that a male athlete from Life has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the indoor season. Williams joins Jacob Ulrich (2023) in that regard.

NAIA WOMEN – Ellen-Mary Kearney, Milligan (Tenn.)

Junior | Distances
Wirral, England

Ellen-Mary Kearney’s coach said “she has shown tremendous resilience when things haven’t been perfect and it’s really starting to pay off.”

That came to fruition at VMI’s Keydet Invitational as Kearney lowered her lifetime best in 3000 meters by over 12 seconds with a time of 9:35.84, winning by over 21 seconds. Her time puts her No. 4 on the all-time NAIA list.

The name Kearney should sound familiar – the NAIA record is held by Mary-Ellen’s older sister, Emily, of SCAD Atlanta at 9:15.29 in 2020 (Emily later was NAIA Outdoor 5k/10k champ for Milligan).

This is the first time that a female athlete from Milligan has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the indoor season. Kearney was previously honored in cross country in 2022.

NJCAA MEN – Mohamed Dahmouch, Iowa Central CC

Freshman | Mid-Distance
Sale, Morocco

Mohamed Dahmouch is giving himself options this indoor season.

After a 2:23.51 runner-up finish in the 1000 meters at South Dakota State’s Jim Emmerich Alumni Meet, he now leads the NJCAA in two events – and ranks among the all-time NJCAA top-10 in both as well.

That performance – in which he was nipped just at the finish by NCAA DII Cross Country runner-up Ryan Hartman of Augustana (S.D.) – made him No. 7 all-time in NJCAA history on tracks of all sizes.

A week earlier, Dahmouch registered a 4:04.90 mile that remains No. 8 all-time in NJCAA annals.

This is the sixth time that a male athlete from Iowa Central has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the indoor season. Dahmouch joins Zion Campbell (2024), Martin Lamou (2022), Courtney Lindsey (2020), Malik Beverly (2018) and Sterling Mungro (2017) in that regard.

NJCAA WOMEN – Juliana Sakat, Iowa Western CC

Freshman | Mid-Distance
Greater Accra Region, Ghana

Two national-leading marks are always better than one.

Juliana Sakat can add that both of hers – achieved in her first two collegiate races – are near the top of the NJCAA all-time lists.

Sakat’s most recent list-leading effort came this past weekend in a 4:48.52 mile while finishing as runner-up on Iowa State’s oversized track at the Cyclone Open. That time puts her No. 3 on the all-time NJCAA list on tracks of all sizes.

A week earlier Sakat had perhaps a more impressive performance, clocking 9:30.36 to win Nebraska’s Graduate Classic to rate No. 2 all-time among NJCAA athletes behind only the 9:29.04 NJCAA record set in 2018 by Adva Cohen of Iowa Central CC.

This is the seventh time that a female athlete from Iowa Western has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the indoor season. Sakat joins Miracle Ailes (2023), Alliyah McNeil (2022), Hilda Olemomoi (nee Chebet) (2022), Nickisha Price (2022), Traci Brown (2018) and Allanah McCorkle (2015) in that regard.