Mercy Chelangat, a junior from the University of Alabama, was named the Honda Sport Award winner for Cross Country as announced today by Chris Voelz, Executive Director of THE Collegiate Women Sports Awards (CWSA).
The Honda Sport Award has been presented annually by the CWSA for the past 45 years to the top women athletes in 12 NCAA- sanctioned sports and signifies “the best of the best in collegiate athletics”. The winner of the sport award becomes a finalist for the Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year and the prestigious 2021 Honda Cup, which will be presented on a telecast on CBS Sports Network on June 28th at 9 pm ET.
Chelangat was chosen by a vote of administrators from over 1,000 NCAA member schools. Finalists included Amaris Tyynismaa (Alabama), Mahala Norris (Air Force) and Taylor Roe (Oregon).
“I am so honored to receive this prestigious award from the CWSA and Honda, " said Chelangat. "It means so much to me. While running is an individual sport, I didn’t do this alone. A huge thanks goes to everyone who has supported me on this journey - my family, my teammates and coaches, the entire Crimson Tide support staff and of course The University of Alabama as a whole. I am so grateful not only for the athletic opportunities but just as importantly to me, the ones I’ve been given academically. Competing for the Crimson Tide has been an awesome experience and I am looking forward to another fabulous season.”
Hailing from Kericho, Kenya, Chelangat was the 2020-21 Cross Country champion and Alabama’s first individual national cross country champion. She ran the fastest final 1,000-meters at the NCAA Championship by six seconds. The All-American also captured the 2020 Southeastern Conference Cross Country title and is a three-year All-SEC honoree.
Following the extended cross country season, Chelangat was voted the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Women’s Cross Country Athlete of the Year and Women’s Cross Country Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
This season she won the Florida State Invitational and was a gold medalist in the indoor 3,000-meter run with a UA record-record time at the South Carolina invitations. At the SEC Indoor Track and Field championship, she earned bronze in the 3,000-meter run. Her title in the 5,000-meter run at the Carolina Challenge set a facility and school record and was the sixth fastest time in NCAA history in the 5,000 meters.
She opened her first collegiate outdoor season by winning the 10,000 meters at the 2021 Raleigh Relays with a school of 32.31.43, becoming the first women under 33 minutes in Alabama school history and shattering the previous mark that was set in 1988 by more than 30 seconds. She won the Raleigh Relays 10k by more than eight seconds and led the nation by the same margin coming out of that meet.
“We are super excited for Mercy and so proud of the way she continues to represent The University of Alabama at the highest level, " stated Alabama Head Track and Field/Cross Country Coach Dan Waters. "This honor represents all the hard work, dedication and drive she brings to everything she does. There is no doubt that she exemplifies the core values of the Honda Award as an athlete, a student and most importantly, as a person. I am also extremely proud of the fact that Alabama had two finalists for this year’s Honda Award for Cross Country. That is a testament to everything our team accomplished during a very different year and the perseverance and focus of our student-athletes, women’s distance coach Will Palmer and our entire Crimson Tide staff.”
Chelangat earned Alabama’s 11th Honda Award and its first for cross country. Other Crimson Tide Honda Award winners include gymnasts Penney Hauschild (1985 and 1986), Dee Foster (1993), Andreé Pickens (2002), Jeana Rice (2004), Ashley Miles (2006), Kayla Hoffman (2011) and Kim Jacob (2014), along with golfers Brooke Pancake (2012) and Emma Talley (2015). Kim Jacob would go on to earn the Crimson Tide’s first Honda Cup in 2014.
The CWSA, celebrating its 45th anniversary year, has honored the nation’s top NCAA women athletes for their superior athletic skills, leadership, academic excellence and eagerness to participate in community service. Since commencing its partnership in 1986, Honda has provided more than $3.4 million in institutional grants to the universities of the award winners and nominees to support women’s athletics programs.
About Honda Corporate Social Responsibility
For more than 60 years in the U.S., Honda has been committed to making positive contributions to the communities where its associates live and work. Honda’s mission is to create products and services that improve the lives of people while conducting its business in a sustainable manner and fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace. Accordingly, Honda believes in helping people reach their life’s potential through its focus on improving children’s health, inspiring underrepresented students, preserving the environment for future generations, creating safety for everyone, and strengthening our communities. Learn more at http://csr.honda.com/.