DENVER SMUs Dalibor Balgac and Karin van Rooyen have been named the Western Athletic Conference mens and womens cross country Athletes of the Week, respectively.
Balgac, a sophomore from Kutina, Croatia, took first at the Auburn Invitational in 23:47.59 (8k), topping 191 other runners. The Mustangs grabbed their second first-place finish of the season of the season (SMU Invite, 9/21), topping 29 other squads.
van Rooyen, a sophomore from Lothair, South Africa, earned her second athlete of the week honor, winning the Chile Pepper Festival 6k in Fayetteville, Ark., with a time of 20:32.57. In taking top honors, she ousted 2000 Chile Pepper winner Lilli Kleinmann of Arkansas and 2001 champion Amy Mortimer of Kansas State.
Additional mens nominees included; Carlos Arrizon, Louisiana Tech; Adam Davis, Rice; Matt Heard, San Jose State; Bashir Ibrahim, UTEP; Andy Norman, Tulsa
Additional womens nominees included: Victoria Chang, Hawaii; Kate Gorry, Rice; Corine van Beek, UTEP