Emory University seniors Lukas Mees (Marion, IA) and Elise Viox (St. Louis, MO) have been named by the University Athletic Association as Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Athletes of the Week following their performances the NCAA South/Southeast Regional Championships.  It is the third time this season and fourth in his career that Mees has been chosen for the award while it is Viox’s third honor, all of which have come this year.

Mees helped the men’s team to its second consecutive Regional title, topping the 203-runner field with an 8K time of 25:46, becoming the first Emory men's runner to finish first at the Regional Championships since 2003 when Phil Hagedorn captured his second consecutive title.  It was the seventh time in as many competitions this year that the Marion, Iowa, native ranked as the team's No. 1 runner. 

Viox proved to be a catalyst for the women’s side to win its second straight crown (third in past five seasons), crossing the finish line in the No. 1 spot out of 200 runners with a personal-best 6K time of 22:05. It represented the seventh time this season in as many outings that she finished as the Eagles’ No. 1 runner.  In the process she became the first Emory performer since Tess Gallegos in 2010 to post a first-place finish at the event. Viox shared her UAA award with Khia Kurtenbach of Chicago.  

Both teams return to action on Saturday, Nov. 21, when they compete at the NCAA D-III Championships in Winneconne, Wisconsin.