Northwest Missouri State University senior runner Aziz Mohammed (Dunkwa-on-offin, Central, Ghana) has been named the USTFCCCA NCAA Division II Men's Cross Country Athlete of the Week.

Mohammed hung with the best this weekend.

The senior from Northwest Missouri State elevated his game at the Chile Pepper Festival, finishing just outside the top-five in the McDonnell Memorial 8k. Four of the five guys to beat him were from the host squad, NCAA D-I No. 19 Arkansas. The last of the bunch, Abraham Chelengam, was top five at the 2024 NCAA DI Midwest Regional Championship.

When all was said and done, Mohammed took sixth place in 23:44.2, some 15 seconds ahead of the next NCAA D-II athlete. Come November, he'll be looking to add another trophy to his case, having won the 1500-meter title at the 2025 NCAA DII Outdoor Track & Field Championships just a few months prior at West Texas A&M.

This marks the first time an athlete from Northwest Missouri State has been named M-F National Athlete of the Week during the cross country season.

National Athlete of the Week is an award selected and presented by the USTFCCCA Communications Staff at the beginning of each week to 14 collegiate cross country athletes, when applicable (male and female for each of the three NCAA divisions, the NAIA and the NJCAA).

The award seeks to highlight not only the very best times, marks and scores on a week-to-week basis, but also performances that were significant on the national landscape and/or the latest in a series of strong outings. Quality of competition, suspenseful finishes and other factors will also play a role in the decision.