Grizzly Cross Country sweeps NJCAA National Runner of the Week awards

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Butler cross country athletes Adem Bouldjadj and Khloi Bird swept the NJCAA Cross Country Runner of the Week awards that were released on Wednesday afternoon by the NJCAA.

The national award comes on the heels of Bouldjadj (Jijel, Algeria) being named the KJCCC Runner of the Week as well as Bird and Bouldjadj earning White Eagle Athlete of the Week honors.

Bird and Bouldjadj each took first place in their respective races at the Arkansas Chile Pepper Festival. 

Bouldjadj took first in the men's Prairie Fire 8k with a time of 24:16.2, finishing well over a minute ahead of the second-place finisher. He finished first out of 272 total runners. Bouldjadj has raced three times this season and has won all three. He has been named USTFCCCA NJCAA D1 Athlete of the Week, KJCCC Men's Runner of the Week and NJCAA Cross Country Runner of the Week in 2023.

Bird, a sophomore from Topeka, Kansas, won the women's Prairie Fire Pepper 5k with a time of 18:43.5, placing first out of 179 total runners. She led the women's squad to a third place finish out of 23 teams. It was the second race this season Bird has won as she also took first at the Missouri Southern Stampede on Sept. 15 in Joplin. Bird was previously named the USTFCCCA NJCAA D1 Athlete of the Week this season on top of this week's NJCAA Cross Country Runner of the Week.

Butler men's and women's cross country resumes action on Oct. 14 at the Firestarter Classic in Iola, Kan.