Cross Country teams sweep conference and national weekly honors
Photos courtesy of Lee Athletic Communications
Lee University’s Celine Ritter, Christian Noble, Danielle Horter and Caleb Guthery are making a name for the Flames nationwide. The Gulf South Conference and U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association honored these four athletes last week following a successful weekend in Louisville.
The GSC named senior psychology major Celine Ritter Runner of the Week. This is the fourth time Ritter has won GSC’s weekly award. On Tuesday, the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association also awarded Ritter the title of National Athlete of the Week for the second time this semester. Ritter won the 5K in Louisville with a time of 17:40.09, crossing the finish line almost six seconds before her runner-up.
Head Coach Caleb Morgan commended the athletes for their achievements.
“Celine has started off the year in a dominant way,” Morgan said. “We are excited for her to race some top collegians next week to get a better idea of how good she is right now.”
Senior Christian Noble was also named National Athlete of the Week and GSC Runner of the Week. Noble is the first male athlete from Lee to receive the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association award during the cross country season. Noble won the Blue Race 8K in the Louisville Classic, making this his second win of the season. Noble finished with a time of 23:34, crossing the finish line one minute and 18 seconds before the next finisher.
“It’s really nice to get it, especially in such a weird year for cross country,” said Noble. “Considering we didn’t even really know we would have the option to run cross country this fall, it was nice to pick up an accolade like that … We really just wanted to go out there and show them what we’re about.”
Danielle Horter from West Chester, Ohio, received the GSC’s Freshman of the Week award, making this award the first of her college career. She was the fifth Lady Flame to cross the finish line, placing 28th with a time of 19:03.6. This is the third season in a row a Lee runner has won this award.
“Danielle has come in and made an immediate impact on our team. She has a lot of fight in her and has progressed so much in such a short period of time,” said Morgan.
Freshman Caleb Guthery was also named by the GSC as the Freshman of the Week. Guthery ran a time of 27:15 for the victorious Flames in the Louisville Classic’s 8K. This is the sixth season in a row a student-athlete from Lee has won this award.
“It’s a great feeling, knowing that all the hard work I’ve done hasn’t gone unnoticed,” said Guthery. “I see the success and atmosphere that the upperclassmen have created [on the team,] and I want to do my part to keep it going. I think this is a good first step.”
The Flames will compete this Friday, Oct. 16, at the UAB Blazer Classic in Birmingham, Alabama.
