NORFOLK, Va. – Norfolk State junior Josef Tessema (Springfield, Va.) was named the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Men's Cross Country Athlete of the Week for the third time this season, the league announced on Wednesday.

Tessema won his third straight individual meet title and helped the Spartans win their third team title in a row last Saturday at the Great American Cross Country Invitational in Cary, N.C. Tessema ran a personal-best 8,000-meter time of 24 minutes, 47.8 seconds to win the HBCU Challenge section of the competition. That time represents the MEAC's fastest 8K time so far this season.

Tessema also received MEAC weekly honors after winning the Lou Onesty Invitational hosted by U.Va. (Sept. 10) and the Colonial Inter-Regional Challenge hosted by William & Mary (Sept. 25).

The Spartans are off this Saturday before returning to the course at the Tribe Open hosted by William & Mary on Oct. 16.