Players of the week are evaluated on their performance during the week prior to the announcement. Each player is selected out of a pool of conference award winners.

Quick Find: Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8 

Week 8 (November 3, 2021)

Runner of the Week: Patrick Timmerman, Columbia (Mo.)

Timmerman finished 11th out of 38 competitors.

Week 7 (October 27, 2021)

Runner of the Week: Zouhair Talbi, Oklahoma City

Zouhair Talbi from Oklahoma City University captured the NAIA Mid-States Classic title Saturday at the Winfield Veterans Home in Winfield, Kan. Talbi remains unbeaten through six races with wins in each event competing for the Stars. Talbi completed the 8,000-meter race in 23 minutes, 50.54 seconds. OCU runners finished 1-2 with Shimales Abebe taking second. The Stars, ranked seventh in the NAIA, collected first place while Sooner Athletic Conference teams finished in the top three spots.

Nominees: Mark French, Oregon Tech; JUstin Bartlebaugh, Vanguard (Calif.); David Bellegleur, Florida National; Cody Booth, Rio Grande (Ohio); Johnathan Bowen, Saint Mary (Kan.); Donovan Denslow, Missouri Baptist; Aaron Jones, Milligan (Tenn.); Azariah Kalpelach, Tennessee Southern; Radovan Kemboi, Central Methodist (Mo.); Taylor Myers, Dakota State; Omar Paramo, St. Francis (Ill.); John Perez-Dunn, Southeastern (Fla.); Luke Pohl, Cornerstone (Mich.); Eric Steiger, Dordt (Iowa); Haile Stutzman, Huntington (Ind.); Thabo Viti, William Carey (Miss.); Jackson Wilson, Rocky Mountain (Mont.)

Week 6 (October 20, 2021)

Runner of the Week: Cole Olsen, Lewis-Clark State (Idaho)

Olsen was the top NAIA finisher at the Inland Empire Championships with a time of 24:31.

 Nominees: Hunter Hoover, Shawnee State (Ohio); Marco Flores, Thomas More (Ky.); Guadalupe Garcia, Southwest (N.M.); Darake Ingold, Viterbo (Wis.); Denzel Kiptoo, Texas Wesleyan; Chance Klipstine, IU East (Ind.); Logan Lucas, Iowa Wesleyan; Justis Paul, Mount Vernon Nazarene (Ohio); Conner Uppleger, Lawrence Tech (Mich.); Preston Webb, Mobile (Ala.); Jackson Wilson, Rocky Mountain (Mont.); Zac Wright-Fisher, Life (Ga.); 

Week 5 (October 13, 2021)

Runner of the Week: Johnathan Bowen, Saint Mary (Kan.)

Johnathan Bowen had a solid outing at the Fort Hays State Tiger Open on Saturday, taking second place out of over 180 runners. His time of 23:53 broke the school record by more than 30 seconds, which was set in 2018. The Spires took 4th place overall out of 15 schools.

Nominees: Dennis Kiptoo, Wayland Baptist (Texas); Jackson Wilson, Rocky Mountain (Mont.); Trevor Albert, Grand View (Iowa); David Bellefleur, Florida National; Cody Booth, Rio Grande (Ohio); Donovan Denslow, Missouri Baptist; Eli Fullerton, Indiana Wesleyan; Logan Hunt, College of Idaho; Drake Ingold, Viterbo (Wis.); Aaron Jones, Milligan (Tenn.); Wesley Methum, The Master's (Calif.); Jacob Vander Plaats, Dordt (Iowa); Hayden Ricca, Loyola (La.); Nolan Rudd, St. Ambrose (Iowa); Tomoki Scharber, SCAD Savannah (Ga.); Jake Willison, Indiana Tech; Jose Zarate, Our Lady of the Lake (Texas) 

Week 4 (October 6, 2021)

Runner of the Week: Zouhair Talbi, Oklahoma City

Talbi surpassed his personal-best mark of 23:45.2, which won the 2020-21 NAIA Championships. Talbi owns wins in all five cross country races he has run as a Star. Talbi's average mile time was 4:43.3 on Friday. OCU, ranked 11th in the NAIA, took seventh in the team standings with 297 points.

Nominees:  Omare Paramo, St. Francis (Ill.); James Cook, Florida College; DJ Dickerson, Ohio Chrisitan; Landon Dunlap, William Woods (Mo.); Mark French, Oregon Tech; Daniel Gerber, Taylor (Ind.); Nash Grafe, Providence (Mont.); Camden Sesna, Concordia (Neb.); Luke Skinner, Saint Mary (Kan.); Jose Zarate, Our Lady of the Lake (Texas); Desyebelew Debesh, Bellevue (Neb.); Nickson Kipkosgei, Cumberland (Tenn.); Danid Manella, Benedictine (Kan.); Joseph Perreault, Ave Maria (Fla.); Jacob Plocher, William Carey (Miss.); Luke Pohl, Cornerstone (Mich.)

Week 3 (September 29, 2021)

Runner of the Week: Santiago Hardy, Antelope Valley (Calif.)

Hardy recorded a new personal best at the UC Riverside Invitational

Nominees: Brint Laubach, The Master's (Calif.); Nolan Rudd, St. Ambrose (Iowa); Trevor Albert, Grand View (Iowa); James Cook, Florida College; Chris Eskesen, Blue Mountain (Va.); Anthony Hickman, Wiley (Texas); Drake Ingold, Viterbo (Wis.); Denzel Kiptoo, Texas Wesleyan; Nolan McGahan, Lawrence Tech (Mich.); Alex Morris, Shawnee State (Ohio); Micah Murphy, Northwest (Wash.); Eric Steiger, Dordt (Iowa); Treven Carter, Point Park (Pa.); Sam Storey, Morningside (Iowa); Landon Wakeman, Indiana Wesleyan; Jackson Wilson, Rocky Mountain (Mont.)

 Week 2 (September 22, 2021)

Runner of the Week: Shimales Abebe, Oklahoma City

Shimales Abebe from Oklahoma City University became the only runner among the top 20 finishers not from a DI team in the Oklahoma State Cowboy Jamboree. He took a 17th-place finish after completing the 8,000-meter race in 24 minutes, 11.1 seconds. He finished in front of runners from DI power programs Northern Arizona, Texas and Colorado. OCU placed 12th ahead of Oklahoma, Oklahoma Christian, Missouri-Kansas City and Clarendon (Texas).

Nominees:  Derek Van Prooyen, Taylor (Ind.); Jackson Wilson, Rocky Mountain (Mont.); Emad Bashir-Mohammed, Friends (Kan.); Chris Casart, Bellevue (Neb.); Donovan Denslow, Missouri Baptist; Will Finch, Aquinas (Mich.); Chris Humetewa, Haskell (Kan.); Logan Hunt, College of Idaho; Jacob Kocis, Midway (Ky.); David Mannella, Benedictine (Kan.); Joseph Perreault, Ave Maria (Fla.); Jonah Phillips, Shawnee State (Ohio); Jacob Plocher, William Carey (Miss.); Julio Sanchez, Our Lady of the Lake (Texas); Camden Sesna, Concordia (Neb.); Zachary Sever, Bryan (Tenn.); Taylor Vallangeon, Olivet Nazarene (Ill.)

Week 1 (September 15, 2021)

Runner of the Week: Daniel Gerber, Taylor (Ind.)

In his first race of the 2021 season, Daniel Gerber won the individual title at the IWU Twilight Invite. Gerber finished with a massive kick and won by 0.10-seconds. The senior set a career-best time of 24:38.9 and logged the fifth-fastest time in Taylor program history.

Nominees: Taylor Vallangeon, Olivet Nazarene (Ill.); Guadalupe Garcia, Southwest (Kan.); Tony Johnson II, Iowa Wesleyan, Clayton Jones, Aquinas (Mich.); Arnos Metto, Stillman (Ala.); Jacob Mitchell, USC Beaufort (S.C.); Jacob Vander Plaats, Dordt (Iowa); Sawyer Scott, Mobile (Ala.); Martin Bailey, Dakota State (S.D.); Davis Boggess, The Master's (Calif.); Logan Hunt, College of Idaho; Nickson KIpkosgei, Cumberland (Ky.); Nathan Morton, WVU Tech; Isaac Oquendo, Friends (Kan.); Blazek Skucius, Lyon (Ark.); Christian Davis, Evangel (Mo.); Jamon SMith, Texas Wesleyan

2020-21 Men's Cross Country Players of the Week