The Big South Conference crowned UNC Asheville’s Jan Málek its Runner of the Week this Wednesday, Sept. 3, following his victory at the Duel in the Valley cross country meet in Bryson City, N.C.
“It always feels good to start the year on a high note, being able to highlight the hard work that Jan’s done as an individual and also what we’ve done as a team,” said Adam Puett, head cross country coach at UNC Asheville.
Málek outkicked the competition to lock down the men’s 6,000-meter event in a winning time of 18:56. His performance led the UNCA Bulldogs to an overall team victory over Western Carolina University.
Wednesday marked Málek’s first time receiving the award and he became one of eight Bulldogs in the last 20 years to make it happen. Málek also earned Freshman of the Week honors during the 2023 season.
Receiving Big South weekly award recognition brings attention to UNCA’s cross country program and builds confidence within the team when they see their hard work on the fields paying off, according to Málek.
“I’m happy to have it, but I feel like the most important thing is we won as a team,” Málek said. “Everything comes from having good teammates, having a good team, working together and then it’s kind of like a cherry on top to win individually.”
High mileage training and consistency over the last two years at UNCA were the key reasons behind his success, according to Málek.
“I think this was a really good start for me and especially for the team, so what I’m expecting is hopefully us getting even more awards like that,” Málek said. “It doesn’t matter if it’s me or anyone else, but if we keep working together and being up there at races we will show that we are contenders for the team title in October [Big South Cross Country Champions].”
Málek said he wants to improve on the team’s finishing position at last year’s Big South Championships. The Bulldogs placed third out of nine teams, with Málek’s 10th-place finish earning him Big South All-Conference Second Team honors.
Race day confidence comes naturally to Málek, according to Lance Surles, a junior on UNCA’s men’s cross country team. Surles competed alongside Málek at the Duel in the Valley meet and was one of the first to congratulate him on the early-season victory.
“When we’re in race settings, he always seems so focused and the race doesn’t really get to him. He always seems ready,” Surles said. “It makes me feel so proud because I’ve seen how hard he’s worked and how many hours he’s put into the sport and I’m happy that he’s reaping the benefits of that hard work.”
