HOUSTON, TX-- St. Thomas first-year runner Elijah Emerson has been named the SCAC Men's Cross Country Runner of the Week for meets conducted from October 9–11.

The Katy, Texas native continued his impressive debut season with a record-breaking performance at the DBU Old Glory Gallup in Fort Worth. Emerson led the Celts with a time of 24:41.4 in the 8K race, setting a new school record and finishing 11th overall out of 401 runners across NCAA Division I, II, III, and NAIA competition. His effort helped guide St. Thomas to a 14th-place team finish in a field stacked with top regional programs.

Head Coach Walt Yarrow states, " Im Proud of Eli's performance at the DBU Old Glory Gallup. He has progressed well over his first collegiate season and believe he is just getting started. His 11th place finish in the big field really helps our team score and confidence heading into the conference championships".

This marks Emerson's second SCAC Runner of the Week award of the season, further establishing him as one of the top newcomers in the conference.

The Celts now shift their focus to the upcoming SCAC Cross Country Championships, where Emerson and the squad look to build on their momentum and cap off a strong regular season with another standout team performance.