Congratulations go out to Sammy Baumer, who was named today as the Association of Independent Institutions' Men’s Cross Country Runner of the Week for the week ending September 7.

Baumer opened the fall season by leading College of the Ozarks with a 20th-place finish among 85 runners at University of Central Arkansas’s Cross Country Challenge. The meet featured competitors from several NCAA Division I teams, including Central Arkansas, University of Arkansas-Little Rock and Oral Roberts University. Baumer’s 6-kilometer time of 20:43.9 ranks among the top performers in the A.I.I. early this season.

A native of Columbia, Mo., Baumer closed out his 2018 sophomore season being named the A.I.I. Men’s Cross Country Runner of the Year. Baumer is a nursing major and works in the Christian Ministries Office of the College.