Ritter Named USTFCCCA DII National Athlete of the Week
Photo courtesy of Lee Athletic Communications
NEW ORLEANS – Lee University's Celine Ritter continued to be recognized for her Lee record performance this weekend at the UAH Chargers XC Open with the announcement she was selected the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) NCAA Division II Women's Cross Country National Athlete of the Week.
“What an honor for Celine,” said Lee head coach Caleb Morgan. “She has come a long way the last two years. She has emerged into one of the top runners in DII and a title contender every time she lines up. She has worked incredibly hard and deserves any reward she gets.”
Ritter crossed the finish line in 17:06.32 for a 13-second win over the next best finisher. Her time was almost eight seconds faster than the previous best mark by a Lady Flame at the 5K distance.
This award marks the first time that a Lee athlete has been named National Athlete of the Week during the cross country season.
National Athlete of the Week is an award selected and presented by the USTFCCCA Communications Staff at the beginning of each week to 12 collegiate cross country athletes, when applicable (male and female for each of the three NCAA divisions and three NJCAA divisions).
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.
