Posted: Jan 29, 2021
(Story Courtesy of the Texas Lutheran University Sports Information Department)
SEGUIN, Texas -- Texas Lutheran first-year runner Caeli Taylor has been named the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association's National Athlete of the Week for NCAA Division III Women's Cross Country.
Taylor is the first TLU student-athlete to be named a National Athlete of the Week during a cross country season. TLU's Marquis Brown was named the National Athlete of the Week for NCAA D3 Men's Track & Field on April 4, 2017.
Taylor ran in her first collegiate cross country meet this past Saturday and won the University of St. Thomas Celt Invitational in Tomball, Texas.
Taylor won the 5K race in a time of 20 minutes, 19.1 seconds, eclipsing the second-place finisher by 13 seconds.
"Being led by two freshmen on each squad bodes well for the future, and for Caeli to go out and win the whole thing was incredible," said Darlene Holland, TLU's head coach for men's and women's cross country, after Saturday's race. "The time doesn't indicate how she ran. She was alone pretty much after the first mile."
TLU and Taylor's next meet is the final scheduled race of the season. That meet is the Southern College Athletic Conference Championship. The conference championship is set for Saturday, Feb. 6 in Irving, Texas. The meet will take place on the University of Dallas' campus course.
