CROSS COUNTRY

The awards continue to pile up for junior Hannah Stoffel as she was tabbed the Great Lakes Region Athlete of the Year as announced by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) earlier today.

The Huntington native clocked in at 17:04 to win the individual title at the Crossroads League Championships last week. Not only was her time a PR, it also proved a new HU program record and course record at St. Patrick’s County Park in South Bend, Ind.

Stoffel also posted victories at the Bethel Invitational, the Rumble in the Fort and the Indiana Wesleyan Twilight Classic earlier this season, setting new course records at each course along the way.

Stoffel has collected five Crossroads League Runner of the Week badges this fall in addition to garnering national attention as the NAIA National Runner of the Week for the week of September 9.

The USTFCCCA awards this honor to five females across the country based on region. Other regional winners include Vanessa Cortes of Mount Mercy (Midwest), Emily Kearney of SCAD Atlanta (South), Sarah Olamide of Oklahoma City (South Central) and Amelia Pullen of Warner Pacific (West).

Honors were voted on by member coaches following the conclusion of the regular season.

Stoffel and crew, ranked 16th in final national poll, received an at-large bid to the NAIA National Championships slated for November 22 in Vancouver, Washington. It’s been seven years since the Forester women have competed as a team at the big dance.