AU senior runner Brian Baum is no stranger to accolades and top finishes. 

Whether it’s winding and weaving a cross-country course or sprinting around a circular track, Baum has shown time and time again he can not only run with the best, but also be the best. 

Baum earned his second straight first place finish of the 2014 cross-country season at the Michigan State University Spartan Invitational on Sept. 12.

Baum was named the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference runner of the week. 

Baum’s effort last Friday also earned him the title of United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches’ Association runner of the week.

The senior finished last week’s eight-kilometer race at East Lansing, MI with a time of 24:36.

Baum was the first to finish of 371 total runners, which included some athletes from Division I programs such as Michigan State and Eastern Michigan. 

A week before, Baum placed first in the Doug Watts Open Invitational at Edinboro University in Edinboro, PA. 

Baum’s time at Edinboro was 25:32 in an 8k. 

The last national award that Baum received was during the 2014 outdoor track and field season. 

He was named an All-American in the 1500 meters after finishing runner-up in the final heat at nationals.

Baum’s UTFCCA national runner of the week award is the second such award received by an AU runner in as many weeks. 

Sophomore Delainey Phelps won the award last week after finishing in first place for the women’s division at the Doug Watts Open Invitational. 

Other AU runners to post impressive times at the Spartan Invitational were sophomore Nick Hall and senior Isaac Potes.

Hall finished the race with a time of 24:45. Potes finished just behind at 25:16. 

Both finished among the top 25.

Phelps was the first AU woman to cross the finish line at the Spartan Invitational. 

Her  time was 22:07 in a 6k race, good enough for 16th place. 

The next best finisher for the AU women was Kylie Bernthisel, who finished 70th out of 370 runners. 

Her time was 23:28. 

Ashland’s next race will be on Oct. 3 at the All Ohio Championships in Cedarville, Ohio.

Phelps won the individual  All Ohio Championship race a season ago.