FARMINGTON, Utah (Oct. 8, 2024) – A pair of Northern Arizona cross country athletes have swept the Big Sky Conference's Athletes of the Week awards in
Karrie Baloga and
David Mullarkey, the league office announced this morning. Baloga and Mullarkey were the top finishers for NAU at the Joe Piane-Notre Dame Invitational on Oct. 4.
It's the second-straight week the Lumberjacks have swept the Athlete of the Week awards, and the first career honors for both Baloga and Mullarkey.
Baloga earned a seventh-place finish overall in the women's Blue 5k race, clocking a time of 16:16.2. Her finish helped the No. 1 NAU women place first as a team with 52 points, topping No. 5 BYU and No. 3 Notre Dame. The Lumberjacks placed all five scorers inside the top 15.
Mullarkey placed fourth in the men's Blue 8k, finishing in 22:36.9 to help the men finish second as a team with 68 points. The Northern Arizona men had all five scorers place in the top 20.
Mullarkey, a Leeds, England, native, transferred in from Florida State this season and has been the top finisher for NAU in both meets he's competed in – winning the George Kyte Classic back on Aug. 31. Last season, Mullarkey raced at the Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational for FSU where he finished fifth in 23:24.8. He would go on to place 40
th at the NCAA Championships and earn All-American honors.
Baloga is running in her first cross country season for the 'Jacks after spending one season at Colorado in 2023. The New Windsor, N.Y., native had an outstanding freshman year outdoors on the track for NAU that saw her win the Big Sky title in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. She didn't stop there, placing eighth in the steeplechase at the NCAA National Championships with a school record time of 9:42.22, setting a U20 American record and earning first-team All-American status.
In the NCAA DI Cross Country Mountain Region rankings released on Monday, the Northern Arizona women were ranked No. 1 while the men's team came in at No. 3. The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Coaches Poll rankings will be released later today.
Northern Arizona will be back in action next week in Madison, Wisc., at the Wisconsin Pre-Nationals Meet on the Zimmerman Championship Course.
