FARMINGTON, Utah (Dec. 9, 2024) – After breaking both the Big Sky Conference's and Northern Arizona's indoor record in the 5,000-meters over the weekend, NAU distance runner
Ali Upshaw has been named the Big Sky's Track Athlete of the Week as announced by the league office this afternoon. She is joined by fellow teammate
David Mullarkey who earned track honors on the men's side.
It is the first track athlete of the week award for Upshaw and the first for NAU this season. Mullarkey was honored twice during the cross country season and wins his first honor indoors. The Lumberjacks were in action opening up the indoor season at the Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener in Boston, Mass.
Two weeks after earning All-American honors at the NCAA National Cross Country Championships, Upshaw started the day off on a high note by breaking both the Big Sky Conference's and Northern Arizona's school record in the 5k. Upshaw clocked a time of 15:27.86 for a new personal best by nearly 10 seconds to win her heat and finish 13
th overall and 10
th among collegians.
Mullarkey raced in his first-ever indoor competition for the Lumberjacks, finishing 10
th in his heat and 37th overall with a time of 13:38.27. He was just two seconds shy of cracking NAU's all-time top-ten list.
Upshaw moved into first place on the 21
st lap as the race reached the 4,200-meter mark and never looked back. She breaks current teammate
Elise Stearns' record of 15:33.74, set in 2022-23. Upshaw's previous personal best of 15:36.48 was fourth all-time in program history.
Her accolade is the latest in a long list of accomplishments for the senior. Upshaw is a two-time individual Big Sky Conference champion, winning the indoor 5,000-meter title at the 2024 indoor championships and the 2024 cross country title a month ago.
Upshaw's record came two weeks after concluding the cross country season, where in addition to bringing home the Big Sky title, she placed sixth at NCAA Mountain Regionals and earned All-American honors at the cross country national championships with a 22
nd place finish.
Mullarkey is coming off an equally impressive cross country season as well, also winning the Big Sky individual title. He was the top runner for the Lumberjacks at each meet during the season. In addition to winning the 2024 Big Sky Conference individual title, he earned All-American honors with an 18
th place finish in 29:11.9 in the men's 10k at the NCAA National Championships.
Northern Arizona continues its indoor season on Friday, Jan. 10 in Flagstaff, Ariz., for the Friday Night Axe 'Em Open at the Skydome.
