INDIANAPOLIS -- Defending her .US National 12K and overall USATF Running Circuit (USARC) titles, Molly Huddle earns USATF Athlete of the Week as a three-time champion at the Alexandria, Virginia event.
 
Blazing from the start, Huddle (Providence, Rhode Island) led the .US National 12K women’s elite field from start to finish. She clocked her first mile in 5:10, had a 100-meter lead at the turnaround and finished with a 30-second lead in 38:26.
 
Huddle won the inaugural title in 2013 (37:50 - AR) and was a repeat champion in 2014 (38:07).
 
Other notable performances of the week included:

• Sam Chelanga (Tucson, Arizona) was the overall .US National 12K champion, racing to a very close finish with Tyler Pennel as the two crossed in 34:35. Chelanga got the edge and the title.
• Kathy Martin(Northport, N.Y.) had the top age-graded performance at the .US National 12K at 100.41 percent, crossing in 49:25.
• Perry Shoemaker (Vienna, Virginia) won her third straight Masters 12 km title in Alexandria, Virginia, when she finished the .US National 12K in 42:03 to compliment her victories at the 2013 and 2014 events.
• Kristian Blaich (Decatur, Georgia) was the overall Masters champion at the .US National 12K, where he finished in 39:29.

 
Now in its 14th year, USATF’s Athlete of the Week program is designed to recognize outstanding performers at all levels of the sport. USATF names a new honoree each week and features the athlete on www.usatf.org. Selections are based on top performances and results from the previous week.
 
2015 Winners: January 15, Chris Derrick; January 21, Demi Payne; January 28, Casimir Loxsom; February 4, Anselm LeBourne; February 11, Jenny Simpson; February 18, Brycen Spratling; February 25, Maksim Korolev; March 4, Shannon Rowbury; March 11, Mary Norckauer; March 18, Daloria Boone; March 25, Irene Obera; April 2, Michael Stigler; April 8, Allen Woodard; April 15, Joe Kovacs; April 22, Vashti Cunningham; April 29, Jasmin Stowers; May 6, Sanya Richards-Ross; May 13, Bernard Lagat; May 20, Christian Taylor; May 27, David Oliver; June 3, Joe Kovacs; June 10, Grant Fisher; June 17, Ben True; June 24, Candace Hill; July 1, Justin Gatlin; July 8, Evan Jager; July 15, Christian Taylor; July 22, Shannon Rowbury; July 29, Anthony Bailey; August 5, Harrison Williams; August 12, Flo Meiler; Sept. 2, Ashton Eaton; Sept. 18, Camille Herron; Sept. 24, Don Pellmann; Sept. 30, Deena Kastor; Oct. 7, Molly Huddle; Oct. 14, Deena Kastor; Oct. 28, Camille Herron; Nov. 4, Tatyana McFadden; Nov. 11, Judy Pendergast; Nov. 18, Molly Huddle. 
 
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About USATF
USA Track & Field is the National Governing Body for track and field, long-distance running and race walking in the United States. USATF encompasses the world's oldest organized sports, some of the most-watched events of Olympic broadcasts, the country’s No. 1 high school and junior high school participatory sport and more than 30 million adult runners in the United States. For more information on USATF, visit http://www.usatf.org/.
 
We welcome your nominations!
To nominate an athlete for Athlete of the Week, please send a detailed email about their performance to Communications@usatf.org.