St. Louis -- Earning the Missouri State cross country team's first weekly award of the 2017 season, senior Jessica Allen was selected as the Missouri Valley Female Cross Country Athlete of the Week, Tuesday afternoon.

Allen ran a personal best 4K time, 14:04.8, at the J.K. Gold Classic on Saturday. It marked the fastest 4K time in the conference by over 18 seconds during the weekend. She finished third overall, but finished first among collegiate runners. Running against 108 other competitors and three D1 teams, Allen also led the pack of 14 Bears in the race at the RAFT Golf Course in Augusta, Kan.

The Bears will have two weeks to prepare for their next race when they return to the Missouri Southern Stampede in Joplin on Sept. 16. For more information on the Missouri State cross country team, visit MissouriStateBears.com or visit the team Twitter @MSUBearsTrackXC and Facebook.