DENVER ? Fresno State’s Erick Garcia and Idaho’s Allix Lee-Painter have been named the Western Athletic Conference men and women’s Cross Country Athletes of the Week, respectively, for the week of Sept. 29 ? Oct. 5.
Garcia, a sophomore from Parlier, Calif. (Parlier HS), won the individual title at the Pepperdine Invitational for a second consecutive year, crossing the 8K finish line with a time of 24:25.19. Garcia finished ahead of 88 other competitors for the first place finish. Garcia’s performance helped Fresno State to a second place team finish.
Lee-Painter, a senior from Moscow, Idaho (Moscow HS), defeated a field of 165 runners at the Charles Bowles Invitational in Salem, Oregon. Lee-Painter finished first with a 5K time of 17:30.37, which was 33 seconds faster than the next collegiate finisher. Her finish helped the Vandal women take second overall out of 16 teams.
Other Men’s Nominees: Idaho’s Markus Geiger took 13th and sixth among collegiate runners at the Charles Bowles Invitational with an 8K time of 25:19.42 ... Louisiana Tech’s Kinsey Dinnel placed 13th with a five-mile time of 23:27?the second-best time in Bulldog cross country history ... New Mexico State’s Ian Ruybalid placed ninth with an 8K time of 26:32.1 at the Arizona State Invitational ... Utah State’s Ben Kessen finished 40th at the Notre Dame Invitational with an 8K time of 24:30.
Other Women’s Nominees: Fresno State’s Marissa McPhail placed fifth out of 97 racers at the Pepperdine Invitational with a 6K time of 21:23.51 ... New Mexico State’s Brandi Gutierrez led the Aggies to a first place team finish at the Arizona State Invitational with a 5K time of 18:21.9, placing her second individually ... Utah State senior Caroline Berry came in 108th to help the Aggie women finish 21st at the Notre Dame Invitational, clocking a 5K time of 18:11.