INDIANAPOLIS -- High school runner Judy Pendergast earns USATF Athlete of the Week after setting a state record at Illinois 3A Cross Country State Championships on Saturday, Nov. 7 at Detweiller Park in Peoria.
 
Pendergast (Naperville, Illinois), a verbal commit to Harvard, set a state high school record of 15:54 over the 3-mile course to win the Illinois 3A Cross Country title and become the first Illinois high school female to run sub-16:00. Her time was eight seconds faster than the previous record.
 
The Naperville North athlete is also a Class 3A state champion at 3200 meters on the track. 
 
Other notable performances from the week include:
 

• Kara Goucher (Boulder, Colorado) won the Big Sur Half Marathon in 71:13.
• Mario Mendoza (Bend, Oregon) was the overall USATF Marathon Trail Champion, finishing in 3:04:10.
• Megan Kimmel (Silverton, Colorado) was the women’s USATF Marathon Trail Champion, finishing in 3:28:00.

 
Now in its 14th year, USATF’s Athlete of the Week program is designed to recognize outstanding performers at all levels of the sport. USATF names a new honoree each week and features the athlete on www.usatf.org. Selections are based on top performances and results from the previous week.
 
2015 Winners: January 15, Chris Derrick; January 21, Demi Payne; January 28, Casimir Loxsom; February 4, Anselm LeBourne; February 11, Jenny Simpson; February 18, Brycen Spratling; February 25, Maksim Korolev; March 4, Shannon Rowbury; March 11, Mary Norckauer; March 18, Daloria Boone; March 25, Irene Obera; April 2, Michael Stigler; April 8, Allen Woodard; April 15, Joe Kovacs; April 22, Vashti Cunningham; April 29, Jasmin Stowers; May 6, Sanya Richards-Ross; May 13, Bernard Lagat; May 20, Christian Taylor; May 27, David Oliver; June 3, Joe Kovacs; June 10, Grant Fisher; June 17, Ben True; June 24, Candace Hill; July 1, Justin Gatlin; July 8, Evan Jager; July 15, Christian Taylor; July 22, Shannon Rowbury; July 29, Anthony Bailey; August 5, Harrison Williams; August 12, Flo Meiler; Sept. 2, Ashton Eaton; Sept. 18, Camille Herron; Sept. 24, Don Pellmann; Sept. 30, Deena Kastor; Oct. 7, Molly Huddle; Oct. 14, Deena Kastor; Oct. 28, Camille Herron; Nov. 4, Tatyana McFadden; Nov. 11, Judy Pendergast.
 
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About USATF
USA Track & Field is the National Governing Body for track and field, long-distance running and race walking in the United States. USATF encompasses the world's oldest organized sports, some of the most-watched events of Olympic broadcasts, the country’s No. 1 high school and junior high school participatory sport and more than 30 million adult runners in the United States. For more information on USATF, visit http://www.usatf.org/.
 
We welcome your nominations!
To nominate an athlete for Athlete of the Week, please send a detailed email about their performance to Communications@usatf.org.