ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – University of New Mexico senior Courtney Frerichs has been named as one of the four nominees for the Honda Sport Award for cross country, the Collegiate Women Sports Awards (CWSA) announced Monday.
Frerichs, a senior from Nixa, Mo., placed fourth for the top-ranked and national champion Lobos at the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships this past Saturday at E.P. ‘Tom’ Sawyer State Park in Louisville, Ky.
She led New Mexico to the program’s first NCAA title and the second national title in University of New Mexico history via her performance, and recorded the best individual NCAA finish in program history.
She was UNM’s top runner in four of five meets in 2015 and is a three-time United States Track & Field/Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Cross Country All-American between her time at UNM (2015-16) and UMKC (2011-15).
She was also the 2015 Mountain West runner up and was named to the 2015 All-Mountain West team.
The nominees for the Honda Sport Award for cross country were chosen from the top four finishes at the 2015 NCAA Cross Country Championship.
Along with Frerichs, Boise State freshman Allie Ostrander, Arkansas senior Dominique Scott and Notre Dame senior Molly Seidel were nominated for the award.
Frerichs is just the second nominee in New Mexico history for the Honda Sports Award in any sport. Women’s golf’s Caroline Keggi was nominated and won the Honda Sport Award for golf for 1986-87 season.
The Honda Sport Award has been presented annually by the CWSA for the past 40 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 2016 Honda Cup.
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.