USTFCCCA Release
 
Fordham junior Quincy O'Connor (Celebration, Fla.) was named the USTFCCCA Division I National Athlete of the Week on Monday, becoming the first Ram to receive the weekly national award.
 
For four of the six National Athletes of the Week, the formula was simple: have the best performance for your Division at the best meet in the country this weekend.  
 
In O'Connor's case, it had been three years since a man from Fordham had won the individual title at the NYC Metropolitan Championship and quite a few more – 50, to be exact – since Fordham had claimed the team title at the meet.
 
O'Connor put an end to both of those streaks Friday. He won the five-mile race at Van Cortlandt Park in 25:51, nearly 20 seconds clear of the field, to win Fordham's first individual title since Julian Saad in 2011. His scoring teammates all finished among the top 13 to give the Rams the team title for the first time since 1964.
 
The win was an improvement on his 17th-place finish a year ago, and marks the meet's fastest winning time since Saad won in 2011.
 
The National Athlete of the Week is an award selected and presented by the USTFCCCA Communications Staff at the beginning of each week to six collegiate cross country athletes (male and female for each of the three NCAA divisions).