NEW ORLEANS – Adams State University senior Eilish Flanagan was named the Division II National Athlete of the Week for April 27 as announced on Tuesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
 
Flanagan ran into the all-time list. Flanagan, a graduate student hailing from Gortin, Ireland, ran 9:52.70 in the steeplechase at the Drake Relays. Her time makes her the third-fastest performer in NCAA Division II history. Flanagan also toed the line with Alicja Konieczek, the former Western Colorado standout who set the current NCAA DII record of 9:47.72 back in 2018.
 
Flanagan moved to the top of the Descending Order List in the steeplechase and holds a 26.59 second lead over the rest of the field. She is also the national leader in the 5000 (15:57.81) and ranked second in the 1500 (4:17.88c/4:23.42).
 
This is the first time in program history a female athlete has been named National Athlete of the Week during the outdoor season.
 
The National Athlete of the Week is an award selected and presented by the USTFCCCA Communications Staff at the beginning of each week to 10 collegiate outdoor track & field athletes, when applicable (male and female for each of the three NCAA divisions 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.