Middlebury junior Audrey MacLean has received more national recognition, earning the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) NCAA Division III National Women's Cross Country Athlete of the Year. The Tiburon, California native was also recognized as the Mideast Regional Athlete of the Year last week.

MacLean excelled on the national stage at the NCAA Championship, clocking a 20:16.8 to become the Panthers second individual national champion and the NESCAC's fourth. Her finish stands as the sixth-fastest 6K time in NCAA Division III Championship history and was 48 seconds faster than the rest of the field.

Before her performance at the national meet, MacLean crossed the finish line in a time of 21:21.6 to win the Mideast Regional race by over seven seconds. It was her third top-three spot in as many seasons at the regional invite, garnering runner-up honors in her debut campaign and earning third a year ago.

The Panther crossed the line first at the NESCAC Championships (20:47.8) for her second-consecutive conference title. She also claimed individual wins at the Connecticut College Invitational (20:17.2) and the Hoffmann Invitational (21:32.2).

Including her track and field accolades, the junior has collected seven USTFCCCA All-American awards as a Panther.and the USTFCCCA regional and national nods are each the first of MacLean's career.

MacLean and her teammates earned team titles at three invitationals and finished as the second-place team in the NESCAC and NCAA Mideast Regional Championships. The squad's eighth-place finish in the national event was its best since 2018, and the program's 17th top-10 finish all-time.