POINT LOOKOUT, Mo. — The NCCAA announced
Bret Crawford of Campbellsville University as the 2018 Wheeler Award Recipient for Division I Men's Cross Country.
The soft-spoken senior from Big Clifty, Kentucky has been letting his performance do the talking since his freshman year. In Crawford's four years with Campbellsville, he has proven to not only be a standout in competition, but also as a leader. Crawford exudes leadership in many ways to his teammates and coaches by his faith.
"Bret is an outstanding individual both athletically and through his character," said Head Coach
Hilary Lakes.
On the course, Crawford has earned NCCAA All-American honors in 2016, 2017 and 2018 after finishing in second place today. He has also been named All Mid-South Conference each year since beginning his career with the Tigers. In NCCAA National Championships, Crawford has placed as high as seventh with a time of 25:49 before this year. Today, he continued to lead the Tigers as he has all season with a second place finish with a time of 26:01.
The Tigers had also placed as high as third in the past but Campbellsville finished runner-up today. These feats were accomplished over the course of three years as the team's top runner.
Outside of athletics, Crawford is quite accomplished in the classroom as a biology major, holding a GPA of 3.72. He has been named to the Dean's List for six consecutive semesters and has also achieved NCCAA Scholar-Athlete honors. Crawford is also involved weekly with Fellowship of Christian Athletes on campus. Additionally, he can be found attending church regularly with his teammates.
"When Bret graduates, we will lose more than just the number one runner on our current team; we will lose one of our leaders who holds his team together and keeps them in check," said Lakes.
