ATLANTA – A terrific mid-season effort by a pair of Millsaps men's and women's cross country student-athletes was recognized by the Southern Athletic Association, the league office announced on Monday. Junior Patrick Elliott was named the SAA Men's Runner of the Week, while sophomore Sarah Strickland was tabbed the SAA Women's Runner of the Week.

The pair garnered the honor after their performances at the Watson Cross Country Classic in Clinton, Miss., along the Choctaw Trails on Saturday. It is the first time Millsaps has swept the award since joining the SAA during the 2012 season.

Elliott becomes the first runner from the men's program to earn the honor in the SAA and is the first since at least 2007 to be named Runner of the Week in any conference. Strickland becomes the second Major on the women's side to secure Runner of the Week recognition. Graduate Abby Tew was the last to do so on Oct. 15, 2019.

On Saturday, Elliott crossed the line 37th overall and was the second fastest NCAA DIII finisher. He clocked an 8K time of 27 minutes, 28.40 seconds to power the Majors to a sixth-place team performance (out of 13 teams).

Also impressive was Strickland, whose 40th-place performance was the best for any DIII competitor. Her six-kilometer time of 27 minutes, 6.70 seconds propelled the women to fifth overall out of 10 programs, which also made the Majors the highest placing DIII team.

Both runners look poised for another strong performance at next month's SAA Cross Country Championships. Elliott was named All-SAA First Team after a fifth-place finish in 2021, while Strickland made the All-SAA Second Team with a seventh-place showing.

The Millsaps men's and women's cross country programs will next travel to Marshall, Texas for the ETBU Invitational on Friday, Oct. 14.


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