University of Northern Iowa Athletics
Wright, Lauman sweep MVC Cross Country Runner of the Week awards
9/28/2026 1:00:00 PM | Cross Country
ST. LOUIS --- UNI cross country's Clare Wright and Chase Lauman have been named the Missouri Valley Conference's (MVC) women's and men's runners of the week, as announced by the league office on Monday afternoon.
The selections come after a breakout weekend for the Panthers at Missouri's Gans Creek Classic last Friday in which ten of Northern Iowa's 14 competing athletes ran career-best times.
Wright, a junior from Jesup, Iowa, led the UNI women in a competitive field finishing in 123rd place with a career-best time of 21:32 in the six-kilometer race gold invitational, shaving 56 seconds off her previous career-best mark set at the 2024 MVC Championships.
Lauman, a junior hailing from Pella, Iowa, led the Panther men in the eight-kilometer gold invitational with a career-best of 24:39, finishing in 24:39. He also dropped 34 seconds off his previous 8K career-best from the 2024 conference championship meet.
Wright, Lauman and the Panthers return to action on Saturday, Oct. 4 at the Dan Huston Invite, hosted by Wartburg College.
UNI cross country action can be followed all season long on social media on Facebook (UNI Track and Field), X (@UNITrackFieldXC) and on Instagram (@uni_tf_xc). The full schedule and roster, along with the latest Panther news and information can be found online at UNIpanthers.com.
