Oregon, UCLA Garner Weekly Men’s Cross Country Awards

ROSEMONT, Ill. – The Big Ten Conference has announced its Men’s Cross Country weekly award winners for the week of Oct. 8-Oct. 15, 2025.  

Athlete of the Week  
Benjamin Balazs, Oregon 
Junior – Portland, Ore. – Sunset High School – Major: PBA  

• Won the Bill Dellinger Invitational 8K with a time of 23:08.2 
• Improved on a previous finish of 22^nd place in 2023 
• Led the Ducks to a 1-2-3-4-6 finish 
• Won the USTFCCCA D1 National Men’s Athlete of the Week on Monday 
• Last Oregon Athlete of the Week Award: Elliot Cook (Oct. 16, 2024) 

 
Freshman of the Week 
Andreas Dybdahl, UCLA 
Freshman – Santa Barbara, Calif. – Santa Barbara High School –Major: Undecided 

• Finished 22nd overall in the Bill Dellinger Invitational with a time of 23:59.50 
• Dybdahl's time was fastest among Big Ten freshman this weekend and second best for UCLA 
• This marks UCLA’s first Freshman of the Week Award 
   

2025 Men’s Cross Country Athletes of the Week 

Sept. 3 
Athlete: Nolan Clark, MICH 
Freshman: Nate Assa, PUR 

Sept. 10 
Athlete: Kevin Agnew, OSU 
Freshman: Isaac Oppermann, PSU 

Sept. 17 
Athlete: Riley Hough, MSU 
Freshman: Thomas Westphal, MSU 

Sept. 24 
Athlete: Luke Knepp, IOWA 
Freshman: Nolan Sutter, MINN 

Oct. 1 
Athlete: Riley Hough, MSU 
Freshman: Thomas Westphal, MSU 

Oct. 8 
Athlete: Douglas Buckeridge, PUR 
Freshman: Jaxson Schoedel, PSU 

Oct. 15 
Athlete: Benjamin Balazs, ORE 
Freshman: Andreas Dybdahl, UCLA