Alabama Duo Named Finalists for 2021 Honda Award for Cross Country
3/23/2021 7:00:00 PM | Track & Field, Cross Country
Mercy Chelangat and Amaris Tyynismaa were both named finalist for the national cross country runner of the year award sponsored by Honda
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Alabama cross country duo of Mercy Chelangat and Amaris Tyynismaa were among the four finalists for the Class of 2021 Honda Sport Award for Cross Country, Chris Voelz, the Executive Director of The Collegiate Women Sports Awards (CWSA) announced today.
The Honda Sport Award has been presented annually by the CWSA for the past 45 years to the top women athletes in 12 NCAA- sanctioned sports and signifies "the best of the best in collegiate athletics". The winner of the sport award becomes a finalist for the Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year and the prestigious 2021 Honda Cup.
The nominees were chosen from the top four finishes at the 2020 NCAA Cross Country Championship which was completed in March of 2021 due to COVD-19 related delays. The Honda Sport award winner for cross country will be announced next week after voting by administrators from over 1,000 NCAA member schools. Each NCAA member institution has a vote. Â
Chelangat, a junior from Kericho, Kenya, was the 2020-21 NCAA Cross Country champion and Alabama's first individual national cross country champion. She ran the fastest final 1,000-meters at the NCAA Championship by six seconds. The All-American also captured the 2020 SEC Cross Country title and is a three-year All-SEC honoree. She led the Crimson Tide to an eighth place finish at the NCAA Championships and a second-place finish at the conference meet.
Tyynismaa, a sophomore hailing from Montgomery, Ala., had the second-highest NCAA cross country finish in Alabama history after a third-place finish at the 2020-21 NCAA Cross Country Championship. She helped Alabama to a second-place finish at the SEC Cross Country championship finishing 26th and captured a gold medal at the SEC Indoor Track and Field Championships as part of the distance medley relay.
The CWSA, celebrating its 45th anniversary year, has honored the nation's top NCAA women athletes for their superior athletic skills, leadership, academic excellence and eagerness to participate in community service. Â
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Players Mentioned
