2019 NCAA DI XC Midseason Awards
2019 NCAA DI XC Midseason Awards
Top freshman, most improved, comeback athlete, and MVP — we award them all at the midpoint of the 2019 DI NCAA XC season.
Unlock this article, live events, and more with a subscription!
Already a subscriber? Log In
With only conference, regionals, and nationals remaining on the 2019 DI NCAA cross country calendar, we’ve reached the midpoint of the season. All the big races are still to come, but the action thus far has given us a good indication of how the rest of the year will play out.
Here’s a look at the standout performers halfway through the fall:
Top Freshman
Men - Abdihamid Nur (Northern Arizona)
Nur, who hails from Somalia, has jumped right into the fold of the nation’s best team by placing in NAU’s top three in each of his first three races. He leads a quartet of Lumberjack freshmen, including Theo Quax, Drew Bosley, and Brodey Hasty, who have ensured that the three-time defending champions remain dominant up front.
Women - Ericka VanderLende (Michigan)
Top freshman honors should be a tight competition between VanderLende of Michigan and Washington’s Melany Smart at NCAAs, but VanderLende gets the nod for now with two victories and four consecutive top-five finishes to start her career. The Rockford, Michigan, native beat Smart by a place when they matched up at John McNichols in September.
Most Improved
Men - Morgan Beadlescomb (Michigan State)
The Spartan junior didn’t run cross country in 2018, so he entered this fall with only modest XC numbers from 2016 and 2017. That fact obscured a strong 2019 track season which indicated Beadlescomb was due for a big breakout. Even still, two wins and a seventh-place finish at Nuttycombe have exceeded expectations.
Women - Katie Izzo (Arkansas)
The Cal Poly transfer has immediately become one of the best runners in the country since arriving in Fayetteville. Her fifth-place finish at Nuttycombe on Friday was the clearest sign yet that she has top-10 potential at NCAAs. For a woman whose best prior finish at nationals is 82nd, her ascent has been nothing short of astonishing.
Comeback Athlete
Men - Thomas Ratcliffe (Stanford)
Ratcliffe has thus far lived up to the promise of his breakout third-place finish in the NCAA outdoor 5K in June by placing second at John McNichols and fourth at Nuttycombe. After missing two full years of competition and enduring two knee surgeries, the redshirt sophomore is finally nearing his potential.
Women - Whittni Orton (BYU)
Orton’s sophomore season ended prematurely last fall after just two races, but consecutive wins in 2019 have her in position to notch her first All-American nod in cross country this season. The junior didn’t race at Pre-Nationals, but she did beat teammate and Pre-Nats champion Erica Birk at Bill Dellinger on Sep. 28.
MVP
Men - Edwin Kurgat (Iowa State)
The senior from Iowa State has won the two most competitive races of the year in dominant fashion. Kurgat’s 10-second win at Nuttycombe looked effortless and sent notice to the rest of the NCAA that the individual title goes through him in 2019.
Women - Alicia Monson (Wisconsin)
Monson overtook New Mexico’s Weini Kelati as the women’s individual NCAA favorite with her nine-second win at Nuttycombe. With it, the Wisconsin senior showed that she is back to full health after an injury-riddled spring on the track.
Related Content
- Mic'd Up With Ritz At The TEN
Apr 19, 2024
- Alicia Monson Clocks American 2-Mile Record At Millrose
Feb 11, 2024
- NCAA Announces Sites For Future Cross Country, Track & Field Championships
Oct 2, 2024
- Nuttycombe, Cowboy Jamboree & More! FloTrack College XC Rankings Show Presented By HOKA | Week Three
Sep 30, 2024
- How Coaches Are Using COROS Training Tools to Get Ahead
Sep 30, 2024
- Replay: Cougar Challenge | Sep 28 @ 9 AM
Sep 28, 2024
- BYU's Berkley Nance, Lucas Bons Run 1-2 In B Race At Nuttycombe
Sep 28, 2024
- Penn State's Florence Caron Improves From 133rd In 2023 To Second in 2024 At Nuttycombe
Sep 28, 2024
- Casey Clinger Takes Fourth At Nuttycombe Invitational 2024, Leads BYU To Men's Team Title
Sep 28, 2024