CLEVELAND, Ohio – The North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) announced Tuesday morning its NCAC Athletes of the Week for the previous week of competition. Ohio Wesleyan University senior Zoe Ward was selected as the runner of the week for women's cross country. It is her fourth career weekly conference award and the first for the Battling Bishops in the 2026 season.

Ward led the Bishops to their first team win of the season and earned her first individual victory of the year on Friday at the OWU Invitational. She paced the 134-runner field with a time of 21:54.1 – her third-fastest career 6K time – as the Red and Black won the 12-team competition with just 23 points.

Next up, Ward and OWU head off to Waterford, Connecticut on October 17 to compete in the Connecticut College Invitational.

Ward is the second NCAC Athlete of the Week honoree for OWU in the 2026-27 academic year and the first for women's cross country.