INDIANAPOLIS - The Great Midwest Athletic Conference announced their Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Athletes of the Week for the seventh and final time of the regular season.
 
The Great Midwest Championships are coming to Nashville, Tenn., on Saturday, where Trevecca will serve as host for this year’s 8K and 6K events at Percy Warner Park on Vaughn’s Gap Course.
 
Strong performances at the #JennaStrong Invitational helped Ohio Valley’s Alex Kitony and Findlay’s Taylor Bolinger earn recognition this week.
 
Two women’s teams and one men’s team were represented by the USTFCCCA Top-25 National Poll in the Week 5 rankings. Walsh’s women led the way in the top 10, ranked ninth in the nation, with Hillsdale coming in right behind them at 10th. Malone also received votes and came in unofficially at 27th.
 
On the men’s side, Walsh again is the only representative from the conference in the Top 25 at 19th, with Malone coming in unofficially at 30th while receiving votes.
 
The regional rankings also feature G-MAC programs on each side with the Walsh women’s team coming in at second in the Midwest Region rankings behind Grand Valley State with Hillsdale right behind them at third. Malone came in at fifth and Cedarville rounded out the women’s rankings at sixth.
 
On the men’s side, Walsh led the way in fourth in the Midwest Region rankings. Malone comes in behind them at fifth with Cedarville in seventh and Hillsdale rounding out the Top 10 at No. 10.
 
Alex Kitony
Ohio Valley
Sophomore
 
Kitony came in with the fastest 8K time of the week in the #JennaStrong Fall Classic to earn his second career conference weekly honor.
 
Kitony finished fourth individually at the event with a time of 26:09.9 and helped lead the Fighting Scots to a 13th-place finish overall.
 
The sophomore’s time was fast enough to crack the Top 50 8K times this season in the conference. In every meet Ohio Valley has competed in this season, Kitony has been the first one on the team to the finish.
 
Taylor Bolinger
Findlay
Senior
Findlay, OH (Findlay HS)
 
Bolinger also had a strong showing this weekend coming in at 10th overall in the meet with a 5K time of 19:09.20.
 
This finish helped lead the Findlay to a ninth-place showing overall in the event that featured two other Great Midwest Athletic Conference women’s programs.
 
Like Kitony, Bolinger has also paced the Oilers, placing first on the team in every meet she has competed in this season.