Sam Chelanga named Athlete of the Year

For the fifth year in a row, a Liberty University athlete has captured the Big South conference’s most prestigious title: athlete of the year. Distance runner and two-time national champion Sam Chelanga was voted the Big South Conference Howard Bagwell Male Student-Athlete of the Year for the 2009-10 season.

The honor, which is awarded based on the votes of conference directors, administrators and sports information directors, caps off an excellent year for Chelanga. He won not only the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championship and the 10K race at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships, but also placed second in the 5K at outdoor nationals and second in the 5K at the NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships.

This is the second year in a row that Chelanga has received this award. Former Liberty distance runner, Josh McDougal, received the same award for the three years prior to that (2005-2007).

The nine-time All-American will return to Liberty this fall for one more season of running. Read more about Chelanga’s award on the Liberty Flames website.