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Rio Grande's Tyler Jenkins (left) and Amarissa Kerns (right) were named NAIA National Athlete of the Week by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.
Rio Grande's Tyler Jenkins (left) and Amarissa Kerns (right) were named NAIA National Athlete of the Week by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.
Posted: Nov 02, 2022

Rio Grande duo receives national kudos

USTFCCA/Rio Grande Sports Information
     RIO GRANDE, Ohio - Two runners representing the University of Rio Grande were named NAIA National Athlete of the Week by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.
     Freshman Tyler Jenkins (Barnesville, OH) was the USTFCCA's pick on the men's side, while fellow frosh Amarissa Kerns (Lancaster, OH) earned the women's honor.
     Both earned the awards following their performances in last Friday's RedStorm Classic.
     Jenkins trounced the field in the Men's 5k on his way to the individual title, winning by nearly 30 seconds in 15:52.6.
     It was Jenkins' third win of the season. He also took top honors at the Royals XC Challenge Blue Race on October 7 as well as the Patty Forgey Invitational back on September 24.
     Kerns couldn't be caught in the Women's 2 Mile, as she cruised to the individual title by 24 seconds in 11:59.3.
     It was Kerns' first victory this season, but her third top-5 finish. She also placed highly at the Royals XC Challenge on October 7 (4th) and the Patty Forgey Invitational (2nd).
     Both runners were also named the River States Conference Cross Country Runner of the Week in their respective divisions earlier this week.
     The National Athlete of the Week is an award selected and presented by the USTFCCCA Communications Staff at the beginning of each week to 14 collegiate cross country athletes, when applicable (male and female for each of the three NCAA divisions, the NAIA and the NJCAA).
     Nominations are open to the public. Coaches and sports information directors are encouraged to nominate their student-athletes; as are student-athletes, their families and friends, and fans of their programs. Nominated athletes are noticed before those athletes found through searching TFRRS.
     The award seeks to highlight not only the very best times, marks and scores on a week-to-week basis, but also performances that were significant on the national landscape and/or the latest in a series of strong outings. Quality of competition, suspenseful finishes and other factors will also play a role in the decision.