INDIANAPOLIS, IN. ­– Junior distance runner Graham Blanks is the United States of America Track & Field Athlete of the week, earning the honor after becoming the first Harvard and Ivy League runner to win the NCAA Division I Cross Country National Championship last weekend in Charlottesville, Va.
 
Blanks' national championship triumph capped a dominant 2023 cross country campaign, as the Athens, Ga. native won every race he competed in this season. The journey started at the Battle in Beantown, as Blanks won the race in Franklin Park and aided the Crimson to a first-place finish. The next step was the Nuttycombe Invite, as Blanks bested a hyper competitive field to win the race in Madison, Wisconsin.
 
In postseason action, Blanks returned to Franklin Park to win the Ivy League crown, followed by a trip to New York, N.Y. to win the NCAA Northeast Regional Championship. Blanks completed the undefeated cross country season at the NCAA Cross Country National Championship meet.
 
Along with USATF Athlete of the Week honors, Blanks earned USTFCCA Northeast Region Men's Athlete of the Year honors earlier this week, winning the award for a third straight season.
 
The Crimson open the indoor track & field season on Saturday, Dec. 2, hosting the HBCU and Ivy Challenge at Gordon Indoor Track.