FREDERICKSBURG, Va. -- Following a record-setting 2021 campaign at Christopher Newport, Logan Funk has been named the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference Women's Cross Country Athlete of the Year in a vote by the league's head coaches.
 
With the honor, Funk becomes just the ninth Captain to earn Athlete of the Year accolades and the first since Emmie Schmitt in 2016. Previously, she secured All-Region nods and was named to the first-team All-Conference squad for her work in the fall.
 
Impressive throughout the year, Funk saved her finest effort for the Coast-to-Coast Conference Championships on October 30 in Sunnyvale, California. In a battle for league supremacy, the senior speedster came out on top after crossing the line in 21:44. That beat the runner-up by over 13 seconds, which marked the largest gap between the league's top-two performers since 2017.
 
Fittingly, for her showcase, Funk was named the Coast-to-Coast Conference Runner of the Meet.
 
In addition to claiming the league title, Funk also set a new school record with her performance at the conference competition. Her clocking marked the fastest 6k time in program history, topping the previous mark of 22:04.6, which was set by Logan Harrington in 2014.
 
Continuing her domination in championship competitions, Funk came in sixth at the NCAA South Regionals after completing the course in 22:54.1 at the Milliken Research Park in South Carolina. Her sixth-place finish was the highest by a Captain at the regional meet since Christopher Newport Hall of Famer Aimee Gibbs came in third in 2003. In fact, over the course of the program's illustrious history, only two runners ever eclipsed Funk's finish. Gibbs was a three-time top-five performer at the South Regionals, while Leigh Anne Beale was second in 1985.
 
For her effort at the regional meet, Funk earned an individual bid to the NCAA Championships. Running at the E.P. "Tom" Sawyer State Park in Louisville, Kentucky, the fourth-year phenom eventually placed 202nd at the national competition after punctuating her season with a time of 23:10.7.
 
Along with her incredible work during the championship meets, Funk was equally impressive during the regular season. She was a three-time Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference Runner of the Week honoree. Her first award came after the season opener in which she established a PR in the two-mile run during the Spider Alumni Open on September 4. She finished the race in 11:48.5, which marked the meet's top effort by a Division III competitor.
 
Continuing her decorated campaign, Funk dominated the competition during the CNU Invitational at Lee Hall Mansion on September 18. Running on her home course, she captured the individual title with a time of 23:50.10. That clocking topped the runner-up by 30 seconds and marked the fourth-fastest 6k time of her career.
 
Rounding out her award-winning appearances, she also received the league's top weekly honor for her domination at the Paul Short Run on October 1. During the prestigious competition, which included some of the top runners from all three levels of the NCAA, Funk clocked in at 22:10.3. That shaved over 80 seconds off her previous PR and placed her 37th in the field.
 
With her performance during the regular season, Funk became the league's first student-athlete to earn three Runner of the Week honors in seven years.
 
In her career, Funk is a two-time All-Conference performer for her work on the cross country team. Meanwhile, the Falls Church, Virginia native is also an All-League and All-Region standout as a distance runner on the track & field squad.
 
---ISH---