Mercy Chelangat was named the NCAA Division I Women’s Outdoor Track & Field National Scholar Track Athlete of the Year. Chelangat, who maintained a cumulative GPA of 3.84, won the 10,000 meters at the 2022 NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships in 32:37.08, more than 10 seconds faster than the runner-up. She also finished fourth in the 5000-meter final. This is the first time that an athlete from Alabama has been named National Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year. Chelangat isn’t a stranger to All-Academic honors, as she was named the National Women’s Scholar Athlete of the Year for the 2021 NCAA DI Cross Country season after finishing runner-up in Tallahassee, Florida.