INDIANAPOLIS – Cedarville and Findlay hosted separate events as Great Midwest Athletic Conference Cross Country Athlete of the Week honors continued for the 2020 season on Monday afternoon.
The Elvin R. King Course was home to the Cedarville Invitational as Ohio Dominican, Trevecca Nazarene and Walsh, competed. The men’s race was an 8K and the women’s race was a 5K.
Findlay also welcomed Tiffin, Malone and Ursuline for a Friday meet. The Oilers won the team scoring on the women’s side and Tiffin had the men’s top team score. Junior Gabrielle Lawrence (23:00.60) and freshman Gabriel Foster (26:12.13) were the winners of each race, respectively.
The Great Midwest Cross Country Championships will be held on Saturday, Oct. 24.
Men’s Athlete of the Week
Drew Roberts
Walsh
Sophomore
Ashland, Ohio (Mapleton HS)
Roberts finished runner-up at the Cedarville Open on Saturday to help lead the Cavaliers to a first-place team finish.
Roberts completed the 8K course in 25:27.40 to earn the sophomore his second Great Midwest Athlete of the Week honors this season and the fourth time in his career.
Walsh had two other top-10 individual finishers at Saturday’s meet. Noah Murray finished fifth (25:47.8) and Jared Bugaj finished eighth (25:57.6).
Roberts finished seventh overall at last year’s conference meet, helping his team to a Great Midwest Championship and an appearance at both regionals and nationals out in California.
The Cavaliers will next compete in the Tiffleberg Open, otherwise known as the conference championship meet preview, at Tiffin on Friday, October 2.
Women’s Athlete of the Week
Alexa Leppelmeier
Walsh
Senior
Wauseon, OH (Pettisville HS)
Leppelemeier checked her way into the conference career record books at the Cedarville Open on Saturday, recording one of the top-10 times since 2012.
The senior emerged with the top collegiate time of 17:45.90 while averaging 5:43.10 per mile as the Cavaliers finished runner-up in the team scoring to host Cedarville.
That time is seventh best in conference history, with the likes of former Walsh standout Sarah Berger. Berger ran a 17:43.80 at the National Catholic Invitational in 2017.
Leppelmeier is also now a few seconds ahead of Hillsdale’s Maryssa Depies from her PR at the Great Louisville Classic in 2018 (17:49.10).
Leppelemer was runner-up in the first meet of her senior season with a 22:16.00 at the Hillsdale Invitational back on Sept. 12. She has the 11th-best 6K time as well while earning all-conference honors in 2019.
Leppelmeier has been a huge part of the Walsh distance program’s success as a national qualifier in both cross country and part of the distance medley relay squad for track and field season.
This is her first conference career weekly honor for athlete of the week.