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Madden Hundley Put in Work, Achieved Goal of Qualifying for NAIA Nationals

 April 29, 2020

Westmont freshman honored by Athletic Round Table as College Women’s Cross Country Runner of Year.

Westmont’s Madden Hundley qualified for the NAIA National Championships as a freshman.

Madden Hundley was a model of consistency for the Westmont women’s cross country.

She was the team’s first finisher in all five races this season and qualified for the NAIA National Championships.

“Madden Hundley wanted to learn how to be a better runner from the first day of practice,” Westmont coach Russell Smelley said of the freshman from Coronado. “She made a goal to qualify for NAIA Nationals and did the work to get there, physically, mentally and emotionally.”

The Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table is honoring Hundley as its College Women’s Cross Country Runner of the Year. 

Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, Hundley and the other athletes of the year in college and high school sports for fall and winter sports seasons are being presented their awards in a virtual format via the Round Table’s social media platforms of Twitter, Instagram and Facebook and on the Noozhawk.com Sports Page. 

There are no awards for spring sports because their seasons were cut short by the pandemic. 

Hundley placed sixth in the 5k race at the GSAC Championships to earn all-conference honors and land a spot in the field of 340 runners at the national championships in Vancouver, Wash.

Smelley was impressed in Madden’s pursuit to become a better runner. 

“Madden is an inquisitive and assertive individual,” he said. “She sought out time to talk with me about training and racing outside of practice. She realized she needed to better equip herself for the running challenges ahead of her if she wanted to reach her season goals. 

“When I recruited Madden, I thought she could elevate the quality of the team performance because she cares about her teammates and wants everyone to do well.”

Assistant coach Lindsey Connolly said Madden provided a spark on the team.

“She can elevate the team atmosphere through her enthusiasm and determination,” Connolly said. “She finds ways to challenge herself and set goals that push her performances up a level.”

— Noozhawk sports editor Barry Punzal can be reached at bpunzal@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk Sports on Twitter: @NoozhawkSports. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.