Mildred Rono was named the 2025 NJCAA DI Women’s Cross Country National Athlete of the Year. Rono, who hails from Iten, Kenya, captured the individual title at the 2025 NJCAA DI Cross Country Championships this past weekend in Fort Dodge, Iowa. The Hutchinson (Kan.) CC star crossed the finish line in 17:11.1, more than 41 seconds faster than the runner-up for the race’s largest winning margin since 2005. Rono four of the five meets in which she competed this season, with her only loss coming by 1.1 seconds.