FREDERICKSBURG, Va. -- After piecing together a record-setting performance during the season opener last weekend, Christopher Newport cross country standout Sarah Dake was named the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference Women's Cross Country Athlete of the Week, which was announced by the league office on Tuesday afternoon.

With her honor, Dake became the first Captain to earn the weekly award since Madi Rawlings was celebrated as the Women's Cross Country Athlete of the Week on October 17, 2022.

Kicking off her junior campaign in style, Dake made history at the Spider Alumni Open on Saturday. Dominating the 4k at Pole Green Park, the third-year speedster finished the race in 14:35.1. With that performance, she became the first runner in school history to crack the 15-minute mark, breaking the previous program standard of 15:06.1 set by Mae Savoie at the same meet on September 3, 2022.

In addition to establishing a new school record, Dake's clocking also shattered her old PR. Her performance on Saturday sliced nearly a minute off her previous personal-best of 15:27.3, which she posted at the 2024 edition of the Spider Alumni Open.

Overall, Dake's clocking placed her 27th in the field on Saturday and was the fastest time by a Division III competitor.

Dake's opening-day masterpiece added another chapter to her impressive tenure at CNU. Last year, she hauled in first-team All-League accolades after finishing seventh at the conference championships. Meanwhile, her time of 23:22.9 during that competition moved her to 31st on the program's all-time 6k list.

Along with her work in the fall, Dake has been equally outstanding as a member of the track & field program. She currently ranks fourth in school history in both indoor 3000 and 5000 while slotting fifth in the outdoor 10,000.

Dake and the rest of her teammates will return to action on September 12 when the Captains host the CNU Invitational at Lee Hall Mansion.

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