TicketSmarter WAC Cross Country Athletes of the Week Announced
DENVER – California Baptist's Ivo Balbanov and Anna Mate have been named the TicketSmarter Western Athletic Conference Men's and Women's Cross Country Athletes of the Week, respectively, for February 15 through February 21.
Balbanov, a senior from Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria, reset his own school record in the 8k at the Battle Born Challenge, covering the course in 23:33.5 to take 14th in a talented field. The mark was nearly 10 seconds faster than his previous record, set earlier this season, and is the top time in the WAC this season by nearly seven seconds. As a team, the Lancers took sixth but finished ahead of 25th-ranked Colorado State, Wyoming and Nevada.
Mate, a junior from Kaposvár, Hungary, continued to lead both the Lancers and WAC, posting the conference's top 6k time with a time of 20:43.0 at the Battle Born Collegiate in Las Vegas. She finished 35th out of 102 runners in a talented field that featured several nationally-ranked teams.
Other Men's Nominees: Dixie State's Kevin Kirk finished fifth in the Battle Born Collegiate 'B' Race, setting a new PR with a time of 25:30.2 … NM State's Anekin Hetman led the Aggies in their lone meet of the regular season, taking 15th at the Dave Murray Invitational with a time of 25:44.2.
Other Women's Nominees: Dixie State's Madison Flippence recorded the seventh-fastest time in program history, taking 12th place in the Battle Born Collegiate 'B" Race with a time of 21:45 … NM State's Corinne Hanson posted a career-best fourth place finish at the Dave Murray Invitational, covering the 6k course in 21:48.7.