Joshua Rush Named 2016 NCCAA Wheeler Award Recipient

2016 Nov 14

Bob Jones University Bruins cross country runner Joshua Rush was named by the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) as the 2016 Wheeler Award Recipient for Men's Cross Country.

"Joshua has set the tone of dedication and service that I hope will continue with future cross country teams," Head Coach Landon Bright said. "From his first day with the team, he has trained extremely hard. I will remember his perseverance even when he was met with difficulty. He would learn from it and prepare for the next opportunity. This is a well-earned distinction to finish off his athletic career here at BJU."

Throughout his four-year career with the Bruins, Rush has been an integral part of the men's cross country and track programs and is the first four-year athlete in the program's history. He has competed in three NCCAA DI Cross Country National Championships and one NCCAA Track & Field National Championships. His excellence in competition has been recognized with numerous Student-Athlete of the week awards as well as two NCCAA South All-Region recognitions. His personal best 8K is 26:53, currently the best time in NCCAA DII this year and 3rd fastest time in program history.

Outside of athletics, Rush is a gifted student majoring in engineering. He has been named to the Dean's List at Bob Jones University five times and named to the President's List once. Rush also serves his community and is actively involved in his local church. He sings in the choir and participates in various children's and youth ministries. Rush was part of a missions team to Utah and Nevada as the group served in sports camps, construction projects and other ministries.

Rush, a resident of Greenville, has shown tremendous leadership on the cross country team, in the classroom and among his fellow students on campus. He is a great encouragement to those around him and pushes others to be the best they can be. He has shown his teammates the value of excellence in competition balanced with the humility of serving others. Rush has shown through his actions in and out of competition that the ultimate goal of athletics is to glorify Christ.

The Wheeler Cross Country Award, for men, is sponsored by John and Jody Wheeler who have been involved in athletic activities of Christian high schools and colleges for many years. The Wheelers continue to actively participate in the area of athletics and wish to promote athletics in Christian colleges. They have chosen to do this by a special individual award for excellence.

This award was established in order to enhance excellence in Christian cross country competition and to perpetuate the Christian philosophy and faith as exemplified through Christ-like cross country participation in NCCAA member institutions.