Contact: Collegiate
Running Association
January
8, 2017 (Richmond, VA)--- Bethany Sachtelben (Stafford, VA / Northern
Virginia Community College) and Hayden Hawks (St. George, UT / Southern Utah
University) have been named the 2016 Collegiate Running Association Athletes of
the Year.
“The Collegiate Running Association recognizes one male and one female
athlete within our membership each year for their outstanding efforts. We are thrilled by the successes we’ve seen
throughout the past year by Collegiate Running Association members enrolled in
college classes. Our membership and
Alumni list continues to grow”, said Steve Taylor, Co-Founder of the Collegiate Running Association. “Both Bethany and Hayden are amazing athletes
and exceptional students. They are among
the top collegians who serve as an example for other college students balancing
training, work and academic pressures faced daily. Competitive, successful and dedicated, they
have a love of the sport and support its growth across the multiple disciplines
the Collegiate Running Association specifically promotes (road, mountain and
trail running).”
2016
Female Athlete of the Year-Bethany Sachtleben
 |
| Bethany Sachtleben |
Sachtleben had an impressive year winning the 2016 Collegiate Mountain
Running National Championship in Lincoln, NH and placing 2nd in the
Collegiate 10K Road Race National Championship in Richmond, VA.
In the Collegiate Running Association and USATF Mountain Running
National Championship held concurrently at Loon Mountain Resort in Lincoln New
Hampshire she placed 1st ($750) and 2nd respectively and earned a
spot on the U.S. Mountain Running Team for the 32nd World Mountain Running
Championships (WMRC) held in Sapareva
Banya, Bulgaria. It was her
first ever mountain running race. At the
World Mountain Running Championship in September she placed 18th and
helped the USA team win the Bronze Medal.
The Ukrop’s Monument Avenue 10K hosted the Collegiate 10k Road Race
National Championship for the 3rd consecutive year. Sachtleben used negative splits of 17:36 for
the opening 5K and 17:09 for the 2nd 5K to run 34:45 to claim 2nd
place and claim the $1,000 prize for reserved for collegians.
As a student Sachtleben earned a Bachelors in finance from
George Mason University in 2015 where she qualified for the NCAA Championships
and won multiple Atlantic 10 Conference titles. She is currently enrolled in
graduate classes at Northern Virginia Community College where she is completing
a degree in Accounting while serving as a volunteer coach for the George
Mason University track & field and cross country programs. She also served
as a volunteer Guest Speaker for the Virginia 529
Kids Run prior to the Ukrop’s Monument Avenue 10K.
“I am starting to really love the half marathon” said Sachtleben when
asked about her favorite race distance. “I like that the training
for a half marathon involves a lot of volume but also allows me to still
incorporate some speedier workouts. The race itself is the perfect distance
because you can settle in and really enjoy yourself for the first 6 or 7 miles
before it's time to focus and start feeling the pain. By that time though, you're
already over halfway finished so it's no big deal!”
When asked how she finds balance with a professional running career and
graduate school Sachtleben
explained: “I wake up really early so I can fit everything in! I also have an
awesome job with flexible hours which allows me to start early and get off
early so I can train before the sun goes down and then study in the evenings.”
2016
Male Athlete of the Year-Hayden Hawks
 |
| Hayden Hawks |
While a senior at Southern Utah University last spring, Hawks ran 13:53 (5000M) and 29:29
(10,000M) on the track in April. He holds personal bests of of 13:51.72 (5000M)
and 28:53.12 (10,000M), was the 2015 Big Sky Cross Country Champion and earned
NCAA DI All-America honors in cross country. In 2016 he
competed in fifteen (15) races, was involved in multiple community service
works.
After completing his Bachelor of Science (BS) in Exercise Science and Human Performance (Pre-Med) he quickly became
an international force on the mountain and trail running scene. His race
schedule was highlighted with his 2nd place finish in the Collegiate
Mountain Running National Championship and 4th place finish in the
USATF Mountain Running Championships held concurrently within the Loon Mountain
Race (Lincoln, NH). With his finish he also earned an automatic berth to the
U.S. Mountain Running Team for the 32nd World Mountain Running
Championships held in Sapareva
Banya, Bulgaria. Taking full
advantage of the opportunity he placed 4th in the World Mountain
Running Championships and helped the U.S. team to its first ever Gold Medal.
Hawks, who picked up sponsorships from HOKA ONE ONE, NATHAN
Sports and BUFF, continues to give back to the running community. He founded the Cedar City Track Attack
(Volunteer Youth Track and Field Team), served on Southern Utah University’s Student
Athlete Advisory Committee and was a member of the Rural Health Scholars and
Dean’s List. Along with serving as manager at the St. George Running Center he
is volunteer cross country coach at Desert Hills High School, Church Youth
Teacher in St. George and does physical therapy volunteer work in Cedar City.
His most memorable running experiences in 2016 included the World
Mountain Running Championships and The North Face 50 Mile
Endurance Challenge where he went head-to-head with famed ultra-marathon runner
Zach Miller. “We both went far under the CR and battled it out the whole race”,
stated Hawks. “It is considered one of the fastest debut 50 mile race efforts in
history. I was very fortunate to be so fit and went out fighting.”
“I love the longer races”, said Hawks who is currently undefeated
for the 50K distance and had one of the fastest debuts ever for 50 miles on
trails. “I love running and therefore love running as long as I can, especially
on trails. There is nothing better than enjoying new trails and trying to
hammer them as hard as possible. I tend
to do better in the longer events and my endurance level has always been a
strength. I plan to have a long ultra-marathon and mountain running career.”
The difficult balance is something any college student can
relate
to. The academic pressures mount and
keeping perspective is an important part of daily planning. “I travel and race a lot too”,
reflects Hawks. “It is sometimes hard to
balance academics, work, and running but I feel like I do a pretty good job. I
don’t watch a lot of TV and don’t spend time on pointless stuff. Time is always
used to increase my knowledge, study, and get my work done. I have learned how
to manage my time well and find joy in learning and working. I was able to
average a 3.7 GPA throughout college while getting my medical school prerequisites
done, being a team captain, doing a lot of service, running 130 miles a week, and
numerous other activities. I feel very fortunate to have a wonderful wife who
motivates me and helps me not procrastinate. I don’t let stress drag me down
and embrace and feed off of it. I set goals and don’t stop until they are
achieved. My wife, parents, brother, and faith help me more than anything
though! I love life and all its challenges.”
Bethany Sachtleben Race Results in 2016
Race Name Location Date Place Time
Ukrop’s Monument Avenue 10k Richmond,
VA 4/9 2nd
34:45
Collegiate 10K Road Race
National Championship 4/9 2nd
34:45
USATF Half Marathon Championships Columbus, OH 4/30 11th 1:15:55
USATF Mountain Running Championships Lincoln, NH 7/3 2nd 58:16
Collegiate Mountain Running
National Championships 7/3 1st
58:16
Falmouth Road Race (7 Miles) Falmouth,
MA 8/21 16th
40:46
World Mountain Running Championships Sapareva
Banya,Bulgaria 9/11 18th 43:49
(U.S. Team Bronze Medal)
Hayden Hawks Race Results in 2016
Race Name Location Date Place Time
UW Invitational Indoor 3K Seattle, WA 1/29 11th 8:05
Husky Invite 5K Seattle, WA 2/12 12th
13:53
(PR 13:51)
Big Sky Indoor Conference 3K Bozeman,
MT 2/27 2nd
8:31
UC Riverside Invite 3K Riverside,
CA 3/24 1st
8:25
Big Sky Outdoor Conference 10K Greely, CO 5/11 2nd 30:50
(PR 28:53)
NCAA D1 West Preliminary 10K Lawrence,
KS 5/26 41st 31:01
USATF Mountain Running Championships Lincoln, NH 7/3 4th 50:49
Collegiate Mountain Running
National Championship 2nd 50:49
Speedgoat 50K Snowbird, UT 7/9 1st 5:25:04
Siskiyou Outback 15K Ashland, OR 7/23 1st
CR 57:35
Jupiter Peak Steeplechase Park City, UT 7/30 1st
CR 1:46:20
La Sportiva Mountain Cup Championship
World Mountain Running Championships Sapareva
Banya,Bulgaria 9/11 4th 1:05:02
(U.S. Team Gold
Medal)
St. George Marathon St. George, UT 10/1 7th
2:23:01
Capstone 50K St. George, UT 11/12 1st
CR 4:10:55
The North Face 50 Mile Endurance Challenge San Francisco, CA 12/3 2nd 5:58:07
Ecogreen 50K Cerro Muerte San Jose, Costa
Rica 12/17 1st CR 5:19:38
Collegiate Running Association Athletes
of the Year
2016- Bethany
Sachtleben (Northern Virginia College, VA)
Hayden Hawks (Southern Utah
University, U)
2015- Kellyn Taylor (Coconino College, AZ)
Joseph Gray (Calvary Bible College, CO)
2014- Megan Deakins Roche (Stanford University, CA)
Tyler McCandless (Penn State
University, PA)
The Collegiate Running Association (CRA) is a 501(c)3
non-profit organization founded November, 2013 with a mission
to promote healthy
lifestyles among college students by providing and expanding
opportunities in the sport of
running. The vision
of the CRA is to offer national championship events in road, mountain,
and trail running with prize money specifically reserved
for college students that are
open to all college
students enrolled in at least one class.
Since their first championship in 2014, the CRA has awarded
over $64,000 in prize money specifically to college students in road, mountain and trail running events. Membership is open to the public
(click here).
Contact: Collegiate
Running Association
“I am starting to really love the half marathon” said Sachtleben when
asked about her favorite race distance. “I like that the training
for a half marathon involves a lot of volume but also allows me to still
incorporate some speedier workouts. The race itself is the perfect distance
because you can settle in and really enjoy yourself for the first 6 or 7 miles
before it's time to focus and start feeling the pain. By that time though, you're
already over halfway finished so it's no big deal!”
Male Athlete of the Year: Alex Lucking
