Greenville, SC - The NCCAA announced on Thursday evening that Ella Dufault would receive the 2025 Dr. Ray Bullock Award.

Award Description
For many years, Dr. Ray Bullock dedicated himself to the development of cross country as a sport in general, but also as a ministry within the NCCAA. The NCCAA Hall of Famer (1999) led his teams to over 10 total NCCAA and NAIA national championships and coached dozens of All-Americans. Bullock has impacted the lives of countless student-athletes and coaches through his mentoring and sacrifice.

As the Polars Cross Country teams are preparing to race in the NCCAA National Meet Friday morning, the NCCAA announced Ella Dufault the recipient of this award. Polar fans are used to seeing her on podiums, but the NCCAA has recognized that these moments of success are not the moments that define her. Ella has strong character in the small moments, when nobody is around. Her hard work is a result of living out her deeply rooted faith. She has had a love for Jesus from a young age and has carried that into her collegiate athletic career. She is a humble servant with a heart to help others. Her integrity leads her to use her talents to give to those around her. She is an involved member in church and Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) as well. 

As an athlete, Ella has dominated the NCCAA Division II Championships, winning each of the past two races, looking for her third this weekend. Not only is she dominant on the field or an individual of strong faith and character, she is also an amazing student. She is a nursing student at Crown, which is possibly the most difficult and time-consuming major on campus; not only is she enrolled in the program, she excels in it, holding a 3.47 gpa. 

Check out the attached article by the NCCAA for more information, including a statement from Head Coach Grant DeWitt.