ST. LOUIS, Mo. – JD Rosslee and Kaitlyn Sheppard have been named Missouri Valley Conference Runners of the Week for Men's and Women's Cross Country, per the weekly MVC Cross Country Notebook released on Sept. 1. 

Rosslee wins the men's honor after placing first in the Men's 6K race at the Fighting Illini Open. The junior from South Africa ran a 17:23.5, 10 seconds faster than the second-place finisher. The Braves scored first as a team with 22 points, 39 points ahead of second place, against Big 10 program Illinois and multiple MVC rivals. 

Sheppard wins the women's honor after placing first in the Women's 4K race at the Fighting Illini Open. The senior from England ran the race in 13:08.0, also finishing 10 seconds ahead of second place. The Braves scored first as a team with 29 points, 33 points ahead of second place, running against Big 10 program Illinois and multiple MVC rivals. 

This is Rosslee's second Cross Country Runner of the Week honor and his first since Oct. 21, 2024. This is Sheppard's second weekly cross country/track & field honor of her career and first in cross country.