Michigan State University Athletics
10/26/2026 8:48:00 PM | Cross Country
EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State cross country standout Kaitlyn Reese has been named the NCAA Division I Women's National Athlete of the Week by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA), the organization announced Monday afternoon.
This is the third time in MSU history that an athlete from Michigan State has been named National Athlete of the Week during the cross country season. Reese joins 2023 honoree Katie Osika and 2014 honoree Rachele Schulist in that regard.
A native of Avon, Ohio, Reese earned the recognition following a stellar individual triumph at the EMU Fall Classic on Friday, Oct. 23, in Dexter, Michigan. Competing at Hudson Mills Metropark, Reese set the tone from the opening gun, clocking a personal-best 5k time of 17:42.9 to claim first place overall in a competitive field. She held off Big Ten rival Keaton Robar of Michigan down the final stretch to secure her first collegiate regular-season victory.
Her individual crown propelled the Spartan women to a team victory with 25 points, edging out Michigan (30 points) to cap the 2026 regular season.
The breakout performance builds on a strong start to Reese's collegiate career, which included a 13th-place finish (22:10.7) in the women's 6k open race at the prestigious John McNichols Invitational in Terre Haute, Indiana, earlier this fall.
Prior to arriving in East Lansing, Reese prepped at Avon High School, where she was an OHSAA Division I state championship qualifier, Southwestern Conference MVP, and school record-holder across both cross country and track and field.
Awarded every Monday during the collegiate cross country season by the USTFCCCA national office, the National Athlete of the Week honor recognizes the top collegiate performances across NCAA Divisions I, II, and III, as well as NAIA and NJCAA institutions.
Reese and the Spartans now turn their attention to postseason competition, traveling to Madison, Wisconsin, for the 2026 Big Ten Cross Country Championships on Friday, Oct. 30. The women's championship 6k at the Thomas Zimmer Championship Course is scheduled to begin at 11:35 a.m. ET.
