PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The American Athletic Conference has announced its cross country weekly honors in 2017 through the week ending Oct. 3.
Male Athlete of the Week
Brian Barraza * R-Sr. * Houston
Barraza returned to the trails with Houston after spending over a year competing unattached. Barraza, a two-time All-Conference cross country selection, won the Texas A&M Invitational with an 8K time of 23:51.5. Racing against a field consisting of nine additional USTFCCCA regionally ranked opponents, Barraza won the meet as a Cougar for the second consecutive season after being crowned the champion in 2015, which was the last time he ran this race with Houston. He also won this event as an unattached runner in 2016.
Female Athlete of the Week
Arnica Zitting * Sr. * Memphis
Zitting picks up her second Athlete of the Week honor this season after guiding Memphis to second place at the Greater Louisville Classic, taking second overall with a time of 17:56.51 in the 5K course. The course will host the 2017 NCAA Championship, as the Tigers finished in front of Louisville
RV who is also fifth in the USTFCCCA Southeast Region. Zitting posted her third top-two finish this season, while running to her career-best time as a Tiger.