Duerksen earns 2nd award this season; both men's and women's cross country ranked

Junior Kelsey Duerksen has landed her second Big Ten Athlete of the Week award this season.

The Big Ten tabbed Duerksen for the award Tuesday.

Duerksen helped the Hoosiers finish 12th at the adidas Invitational during the weekend. IU competed against 17 nationally-ranked teams.

She ran her fastest 6-kilometer time of the year, clocking in at 20 minutes and four seconds.

She now has a combined total of five Big Ten Athlete of the Week awards in her track and cross country college career.

Duerksen received her first award Sept. 21 after she competed at the Indiana Intercollegiate meet. She finished the women’s 5-kilometer race in 17 minutes and 28 seconds. 

Tuesday’s National Coaches Poll has ranked Indiana’s women’s team at No. 21. They have not been nationally ranked since 2010.

The women’s No. 21 ranking is the highest they have been since they were ranked No. 21 in Oct. 2004. With the men being ranked at No. 24, this marks the first time that both the men’s and women’s teams have been ranked in the top 25 since 2010.

The women’s team will be looking to send their first full team to the NCAA Championships this year for the first time since 2009.

— Frank Bonner