Fielding, Kaulen Sweep Horizon League Women’s Awards
10/6/2026 1:05:00 PM | Cross Country
For the first time this season, the Youngstown State cross country team swept the Horizon League's women's awards for their performances at the Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational, the league announced Tuesday.
McKinley Fielding earned her first Under Armour #HLXC Women's Runner of the Week honor of the season and the third of her career, while Erica Kaulen was named the #HLXC Women's Freshman Runner of the Week for the third time this season.
Making her 2026 debut, Fielding led the Penguins to a program-best 13th-place finish in the 20-team Blue Race on Oct. 2. She matched her personal-best 5K time of 16:59.3, which ranks second all-time in program history, to place 37th in the 180-runner field.
Kaulen added her name to the Penguins' record book with the sixth-fastest 5K time in program history, clocking 17:24.0. In her first national race, Kaulen became the highest-finishing freshman in the Blue Race in program history, placing 71st.
The Ohio native also recorded the third-fastest time among freshmen from the Great Lakes Region, trailing only Indiana's Katy Zang and Akron's Abigael Kilagat. She finished 11th among the 56 freshmen in the race.
Following their performance in South Bend, the women earned their highest Great Lakes Regional ranking in program history at No. 12 in the latest USTFCCCA rankings, surpassing their previous high of No. 13 in 2025.
The Guins return to the course Oct. 16 when they travel to College Station, Texas, for the Texas A&M Arturo Barrios Invitational.
