Hansen's NCAA runner-up finish earns him USATF Athlete of the Week honors

INDIANAPOLIS -- Finishing second in the men's 10K at the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships in Columbia, Missouri, Rocky Hansen (Hendersonville, NC/USATF North Carolina) earned recognition as the 41st USATF Athlete of the Week award winner for 2025.

A junior at Wake Forest University, Hansen went to the front of the massive pack right from the gun, hitting 1K in 2:43.4 and 2K in 5:39.3 in second place. He went through the halfway mark in 14:25.7, and after dropping back to 20th over the next kilometer he steadily moved back toward the lead.

This year's ACC and NCAA Southeast Region cross country champion and a bronze medalist in the 5000m at the NCAA Indoor Championships in March, Hansen was back in second with a kilometer to go and he held on to his silver with a 2:45.6 for the final 1000 meters to cross the line in 28:38. He improved on a 100th-place finish in 2024 and was the first American male finisher.

Other top performances from last week:

Scott Traer won the men's title at the USATF 24 Hour Championships, covering 137.4 miles at the Fat Ox Endurance Runs in Buckeye, Arizona. He ran six miles farther than the next finisher.

Polina Hodnette was the women's winner at the USATF 24-Hour Championships, running 117.6 miles at Buckeye, Arizona. Her total distance was 26.9 miles farther than the next female finisher.

BYU's Jane Hedengren was the top American women's finisher at the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships in Missouri, clocking 18:38.9 for 6K to take second.

Now in its 24th year, USATF’s Athlete of the Week program is designed to recognize outstanding performers at all levels of the sport. USATF names a new honoree each week when there are high-level competitions and features the athlete on USATF.org. Selections are based on top performances and results from the previous week.

2025 Winners: January 15, Zariel Macchia; January 22, Conner Mantz; January 29, Katelyn Tuohy; February 5, Ethan Strand; February 12, Yared Nuguse; February 19, Grant Fisher; February 26, Josh Hoey; March 5, Heather MacLean; March 12, Cole Boone; March 19, Isabella Whittaker; March 26, Claire Bryant; April 2, Curtis Thompson; April 9, Taylor Roe; April 16, Valarie Allman; April 23, Jane Hedengren; April 30, Kaitlin Bounds; May 6, Masai Russell; May 13, Lynna Irby-Jackson; May 20, Jaydin Blackwell; May 27, Jonah Koech; June 3, Anna Hall; June 10, Jane Hedengren; June 17, Nico Young; June 24, Cooper Lutkenhaus; July 1, Chase Jackson; July 8, Rudy Winkler; July 15, Quincy Wilson; July 22, Sinclaire Johnson; August 5, Cooper Lutkenhaus; August 19, Curtis Thompson; August 26, Nikki Hiltz; September 2, Cordell Tinch; September 9, Conner Mantz; September 30, Jaydin Blackwell; October 7, Annie Carey; October 14, Conner Mantz; October 21, Jane Hedengren; October 28, Tara Dower; November 4, Jenny Hitchings; November 11, Anne Flower; November 25, Rocky Hansen.

We welcome your nominations!

To nominate an athlete for USATF Athlete of the Week, please send a detailed email about their performance to communications@usatf.org.

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