COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Cross Country senior Sarah Chapman (Maidenhead, England) was named the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Division I Women's National Athlete of the Week, announced Tuesday. Chapman won the individual women's 6k title at the Gans Creek Classic on Saturday with a time of 20:01.1, setting a new personal record and shattering the previous course record.

With the fastest 6k time across the country last week, Chapman is the first Mizzou cross country runner to win the award since Karissa Schweizer, who won the honors five times. She is also just the third athlete in school history to win the award in addition to Kearsten Peoples (2/24/15). 

"Sarah ran a brilliant race on our home course," said cross country head coach Marc Burns. "She conserved energy the whole way and made a strong move just before 5k and got a good gap on the field. She is at a new level this fall and it will be exciting to see where she goes from here!"

The senior separated herself from the rest of the field Saturday, winning her first race as a Tiger by five seconds. Chapman fended off 17 runners from the defending national champion Arkansas Razorbacks, including two All-SEC runners and the 2019-20 National Gatorade Track and Field Athlete of the Year. 

Pacing the Tigers for the eighth time in her career, Chapman's performance lifted the team to a second-place team finish at the meet with 61 points, finishing only behind the Razorbacks (20 points).

Chapman will run next at the Mizzou XC Invitational on Oct. 16, followed by the SEC Championships on Oct. 30 in Baton Rouge. La.

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