VanderWall Named Crossroads League Runner of the Week

Crossroads League Release | TU Honor's Page

JACKSON, Mich. – The Crossroads League announced its second installment of weekly awards for the 2022 cross country campaign on Monday, and, after a historic performance at the Indiana Wesleyan Twilight Invitational, TU freshman, Noel VanderWall, was dubbed the Women's Cross Country Runner of the Week.

VanderWall, a native of Petoskey, Michigan, took the course for her first collegiate 5k race on Friday, September 9th, and outpaced 195 fellow runners en route to a first-place finish of 17:51.6. The Michigan speedster not only managed to become the first Taylor freshman since Alex Berends in 2014 to win her first collegiate race, but she also posted the fourth fastest 5k time among any runner in program history.

Even more, while leading a group of seven runners who finished in the top-15, VanderWall energized the Trojan women toward their first team title of the 2022 season. As a team, Taylor posted a time of 1:31:44 for the third-fastest in program history.

VanderWall's honor marks the first of her career, and the 11th for TU athletes thus far into the 2022-2023 athletic year.

The No. 4 Taylor women cross country team is back in action on Friday, September 16th, in Upland for the 2022 Ray Bullock Invitational, which is set to commence at 5:00 pm ET.