USTFCCCA Awards
By USTFCCCA Communications, USTFCCCA February 3, 2025   

M-F Athletic National Athletes of the Week (Feb. 3, 2025)

NEW ORLEANS — All-time marks galore!

Here are our M-F Athletic National Athletes of the Week for February 3, 2025.

  • NCAA Division I Men – Ethan Strand, North Carolina
  • co-NCAA Division I Women – Anthaya Charlton, Florida
  • co-NCAA Division I Women – Chloe Timberg, Rutgers
  • NCAA Division II Men – Romain Legendre, Adams State
  • NCAA Division II Women – Hayley Rayburn, Colo. School of Mines
  • NCAA Division III Men – Ziyad Hassan, MIT
  • NCAA Division III Women – Colby 4×400 Relay
  • NAIA Men – Tajean Houston, Texas Wesleyan
  • NAIA Women – Briana Campbell, Life (Ga.)
  • NJCAA Men – Nathan Ciarlette, Joliet (Ill.) JC
  • 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 – Ethan Strand, North Carolina

Senior | Distance
Vestavia, Alabama

No collegiate record is safe from Ethan Strand.

The North Carolina star smashed his second CR of the season this past weekend at the John Terrier Terrier Classic. This time, Strand ran 3:48.32 over the mile distance and obliterated a near three-year-old mark set by Cooper Teare of Oregon. It also made Strand the third fastest man in world history in the event behind Yomif Kejelcha and Yared Nuguse.

Earlier in the season, Strand took more than six seconds off the 3000-meter CR with his 7:30.15 effort in early December at the Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener.

This is the second time this season that Strand has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week. Strand previously earned national weekly honors on December 8, 2024.

co-NCAA DIVISION I WOMEN – Anthaya Charlton, Florida

Junior | Jumps
Nassau, Bahamas

All it takes is one.

Anthaya Charlton proved that this past weekend at the Razorback Invitational.

Charlton soared 6.98m (22-11) in the long jump on her first attempt of the competition to move up to No. 2 in collegiate history behind 2023 The Bowerman finalist Jasmine Moore. That jump surpassed the former low-altitude collegiate best of 6.93m (22-9) set by Tara Davis-Woodhall in 2021. Both Moore and Davis-Woodhall registered their marks at the NCAA Championships.

Not done just yet, Charlton returned to the runway for a second attempt that spanned 6.85m (22-5¾). Charlton opted to pass on all of her final four attempts and easily took the event title.

This is the fourth year in a row that a female athlete from Florida has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week. Charlton joins 2024 The Bowerman winner Parker Valby, 2023 honoree Talitha Diggs, and 2022 honorees Moore and Grace Start in that regard. 

co-NCAA DIVISION I WOMEN – Chloe Timberg, Rutgers

Sophomore | Pole Vault
Doylestown, Pennsylvania

We might be saying “Timberg” to a ten-year-old collegiate record soon. Chloe Timberg, that is.

The Rutgers star vaulted 4.72m (15-5¾) this past weekend at the Rutgers Scarlet Knight Open to move up to No. 2 on the all-time chart behind CR-holder and 2015 The Bowerman finalist Demi Payne. Ten years ago this past weekend, Payne cleared a CR 4.75 (15-7) that only one collegian had come within two inches since then (Olivia Gruver topped 4.70m (15-5) in 2020).

Timberg, who won the NCAA outdoor title last year, also surpassed 4.65m (15-3) on her third attempt at the height to equal the 11th best mark in collegiate history under a roof.

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

NCAA DIVISION II MEN – Romain Legendre, Adams State

Senior | Distance
Carpentras, France

Where do we start with Romain Legendre?

The senior out of Adams State put together the race of his life at the John Thomas Terrier Classic in Boston, running 13:02.08 to shatter his own NCAA DII indoor record by 22 seconds and best the NCAA DII all-dates standard by 14 seconds. Even more importantly, it places him third on the all-time collegiate list, regardless of division, behind just Nico Young of Northern Arizona and Graham Blanks of Harvard!

Legendre’s tale is even more legendary when acknowledging the distance titans that he was matched up against: NCAA DI Cross Country Championships runner-up Habtom Samuel, and European U23 gold medalist Jimmy Gressier. Legendre took down the entire collegiate field, falling short to just Gressier. Ironically, the Griz standout would also hold the French national record if it wasn’t for Gressier who posted 13:00.54. They are now No. 1 and No. 2, respectively. 

This marks the second time this season that Legendre has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week. Legendre previously earned national weekly honors on December 5, 2024.

NCAA DIVISION II WOMEN – Hayley Rayburn, Colo. School of Mines

Redshirt Senior | Pole Vault
Bailey, Colorado

Sometimes all it takes is a little change in scenery. 

For Colo. School of Mines’ Hayley Raburn, that meant a PR and a top-3 spot on the NCAA DII all-time list. The Arizona State transfer added more than a few inches on her jump at the Mines Winter Classic, soaring to 4.40m (14-5¼). After briefly stalling at 4.33 (14-2½), the redshirt senior passed the new height with flying colors on her second go. 

Similar to the jump she made geographically, the Oredigger saw a jump in her marks. Rayburn’s best as a Sun Devil was 4.25m (13-11¼) dating back to the spring of 2023. Her first meet in a new uniform saw her rise to 4.28m (14-0½) at the Mines Alumni Classic. Now, it seems to be more of an up, up, and away trend. 

This marks the third time a female athlete from Colo. School of Mines has been named M-F National Athlete of the Week during the indoor season. Rayburn joins Jenna Ramsey-Rutledge Hannah Miller.

NCAA DIVISION III MEN – Ziyad Hassan, MIT

Senior | Mid-Distance
Ashburn, Virginia

An indoor sub-1:49 800-meter mark is hallowed ground in NCAA DIII history.

Prior to this past weekend, only three men had dipped below the standard: Ryan Wilson (1:46.61, 2023), Ben Scheetz (1:47.43, 2012) and Clive Terrelonge (1:47.87, 1992). Ziyad Hassan joined that elite few with his PR 1:48.63 this past weekend at the John Thomas Terrier Class in Boston.

Hassan doubled back with a PR 4:07.70 in the mile to finish second in his heat.

This is the third time in program history that a male athlete from MIT has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the indoor season. Hassan joins Wilson, a two-time honoree in 2023, in that regard.

NCAA DIVISION III WOMEN – Colby 4×400 Relay

Two laps apiece? Two-and-a-half laps?

It didn’t matter for Kaitlyn Ewald, Fiona Mejico and Kristina Pizzi, because they were going to run fast no matter the distance this past weekend at the John Thomas Terrier Classic in Boston.

Ewald, Mejico and Pizzi all cracked the NCAA DIII all-time top-10 in the 500 meters and then doubled back with Tally Zeller in the mix to add another all-time top-10 mark in the 4×400 relay.

The trio of Ewald, Mejico and Pizzi sit Nos 3, 8, and 10, respectively, on the 500-meter chart at 1:14.27, 1:15:80 and 1:16:14. With Zeller added, Colby’s 4×400 team is ranked eighth all-time.

This marks the first time in program history that athlete from Colby have been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the indoor season.

NAIA MEN – Tajean Houston, Texas Wesleyan

Senior | Hurdles
Kingston, Jamaica

Tajean Houston showed he was more than ready at Oklahoma’s J.D. Martin Invitational.

The reigning NAIA champion improved his list-leading time in the 60-meter hurdles from 7.87 to a PR-equaling 7.77 in the prelims.

Just over half an hour later, Houston went even faster – 7.71 to win the final by 0.20 seconds. That puts him No. 2 on the all-time NAIA list, just 0.01 off the NAIA record.

This is the second time that a male athlete from Texas Wesleyan has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the indoor season. Houston himself was also honored last year.

NAIA WOMEN – Briana Campbell, Life (Ga.)

Freshman | Hurdles/Sprints
Jamaica

Briana Campbell’s collegiate debut was also her first-ever competition indoors.

It didn’t look like it at Clemson’s Bob Pollock Invitational.

A time of 8.22 in her heat of the 60-meter hurdles scared the NAIA record of 8.20. Less than two hours later, the record was all hers after a time of 8.18 in the semifinals. That took down the 8.20 NAIA best set in 2023 by Salieci Myles of William Carey (Miss.).

Campbell bypassed the final, saving herself for the next day’s 200 meters, in which she clocked 24.11 to win her section in becoming this year’s No. 2-ranked NAIA sprinter – just 0.01 seconds off the lead.

Campbell arrived at Life with impressive credentials. She was a member of Jamaica’s gold medal 4×100 team at last year’s World U20 Championships. Her best outdoors in the 100 hurdles is 13.11.

This is the first time that a female athlete from Life has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the indoor season.

NJCAA MEN – Nathan Ciarlette, Joliet (Ill.) JC

Freshman | Mid-Distances
Joliet, Illinois

Nathan Ciarlette made the mile a one-man show at the Olivet Nazarene’s Walter Cramer Invitational in Bourbonnais, Illinois.

Running alone from the gun, Ciarlette also put himself in select company among NJCAA Division III athletes as his time of 4:17.39 netted him a victory by 15.22 seconds in achieving the NJCAA qualifying standard, a rare achievement for DIII athletes as the NJCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships combine all three divisions into one competition.

Ciarlette’s mark was also significant as the fastest-ever time known by an NJCAA DIII athlete on an indoor flat track. Last fall he was the NJCAA DIII cross country champion.

This is the first time that a male or female athlete from Joliet has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the indoor season.

NJCAA WOMEN – Juliana Sakat, Iowa Western CC

Freshman | Mid-Distance
Greater Accra Region, Ghana

There was no close call this time for Juliana Sakat.

Two weeks after missing the NJCAA record in the 3000 meters by 1.32 seconds, Sakat left no doubt in the 5000 at the Washburn Open in Topeka, Kansas.

Sakat made her move just before the 3k split, taking the lead at 9:58.33 – a time that is faster than any other NJCAA athlete has run this season. Sakat then increased the pace, passing 4k at 13:08.07 after running the fastest kilometer of the race (3:09.74).

Her lead continued to increase, ultimately to a winning margin of 30.0 seconds in crossing the finish at 16:20.80 to shatter the 2020 NJCAA record of 16:38.42 set by Gladys Jemaiyo of South Plains (Texas).

Sakat now leads the NJCAA at three distances, adding the 3000 at 9:30.36 (No. 2 all-time NJCAA) and mile at 4:48.52 (No. 3 all-time NJCAA all-conditions).

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