INDIANAPOLIS – From 19th (men) and 13th (women)-ranked Walsh, the Cavaliers staked claim to both Great Midwest Athletic Conference Men’s & Women’s Cross Country Athlete of the Week awards announced on Tuesday.
The first official USTFCCCA National Poll is set to be on Wednesday the 19th of this week. The Cavaliers rankings were preseason designation.
The conference had a number of talented student-athletes cross the tape in first place throughout various races over the past weekend.
Tiffin sophomore Stephen Korir was the first-place finisher at the Tiffleberg Open, a meet that featured four different participating Great Midwest institutions. Meanwhile, Week 2 Great Midwest Athlete of the Week George McCartney won the Kutztown DII/DIII Challenge while the Pioneers were split as a squad.
The men’s third first-place finisher was Alderson Broaddus senior leader Caleb Pell, who took home top honors at the Penn State Behrend Invitational. Pell won the 8K event with a time of 26:39.50.
The women enjoyed similar success as Malone’s Rachel Wentworth toppled the field at the Kutztown DII/III Challenge and Findlay freshman Gabrielle Lawrence now has a top-10 time around the conference this year in both the 5K and 6K distances.
Lawrence placed first at the Tiffleberg Open, a 6K event, in a time of 24:07 flat.
Men’s Athlete of the Week
Mark Hadley
Walsh
Senior
Youngstown, OH (Boardman HS)
The Cavaliers made quite the impression in a mixed field hosted by Notre Dame at the National Catholic Invitational, a race that measured out to 5 miles (a little more than 8K).
It was Walsh’s long-awaited season debut after Rob Mizicko’s program was tabbed as the preseason coaches poll favorite and made a trip to the NCAA Championships as a team qualifier.
Hadley put his best foot forward by winning the non-Division I portion of the competition and would wind up placing 13th overall with a time of 25:30.20.
The Cavaliers were the top placing non-Division I program and overall, finished fourth out of 29 competing schools.
Hadley’s 8K time is the best clocked in the Great Midwest so far this season as teams continue to round into midseason form.
Women’s Athlete of the Week
Andra Lehotay
Walsh
Junior
Magnolia, OH (Sandy Valley)
Sarah…nope, wait. The name that Great Midwest fans have been so accustomed to seeing on a regular basis in the weekly conference awards list is competing at Grand Valley State to finish her graduate schooling.
That means a host of Cavaliers are looking to step up to fill different roles, one being the very talented Lehotay, who was an All-American in track and field (indoor DMR, outdoor 1,500m).
Lehotay led the Walsh charge in the 5K National Catholic Meet by helping the Cavaliers win the non-Division I part of the team scoring.
Like men’s teammate Mark Hadley, she was also the top runner from non-DI schools, although teammate Brianna Coy crossed the line just 0.5 seconds behind.
Lehotay would finish ninth overall behind a pack from host Notre Dame, Dayton and Canisius, with a time of 18:01.30. That time ranks eighth in the conference record books for the 5K distance.
Lehotay has a hold on three of the top-10 best times in Great Midwest history from 5K races in just over a year.