NEW ORLEANS, La. – Washington & Jefferson College junior Claire Anderson (Jamestown, Pa./Jamestown) has been named the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Women's Mid-Atlantic Region Cross Country Athlete of the Year, announced by the organization Tuesday (Nov. 19).
 
This marks the first W&J cross country runner to win a USTFCCCA Region Cross Country Athlete of the Year award in school history.
 
Award winners were determined by a vote of USTFCCCA member coaches. Only those individuals from USTFCCCA member programs are eligible for awards.
 
Anderson also picked up 2024 NCAA Division III Cross Country All-Region honors after her historic finish at the Mid-Atlantic Regional, finishing as the Mid-Atlantic Regional Champion. Anderson broke the all-time record for the fastest time in the women's 6k at W&J with a 21:04.9 mark. The former record was previously held by Kristen Galligan who raced to a 21:09.3 mark in 2012.
 
Anderson is also the first women's runner in W&J history to claim an NCAA Cross Country Regional Title. This marks the second runner overall at W&J to claim a regional title since Harley Moyer of the 2018 men's cross country team.
 
Accompanying Anderson in receiving USTFCCCA All-Region honors is Dominic Flitcraft (Aliquippa, Pa./Hopewell) and Brock Pennington (North East, Pa./North East). Flitcraft paced the Presidents runners at NCAA Regionals with a 10^th-place mark and personal-best mark of 24:44.5. Pennington followed close behind with a 16^th-place finish and personal-best time of 24:55.4.
 
Athletes earned All-Region distinction by virtue of a top-35 finish at one of the ten regional sites this past weekend. Only athletes from USTFCCCA member institutions are eligible for awards.
 
This will be the first time in W&J's history that the cross country team will be sending three total runners to compete at the NCAA National Championships. Nationals are scheduled to commence at 11:00 a.m. at the LaVern Gibson Cross Country Course in Terre Haute, Ind.