LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) – Junior
Natalia Ruiz raced her way to the top of the Mountain West for the seventh time in her career, the league announcing the Madrid, Spain native as the Women's Cross Country Athlete of the Week on Tuesday.
Ruiz paced the Rebels' cross country team last week at the
Dave Murray Invitational on Friday, finishing fifth place overall in the women's 6K event on a final time of 20:44.0. Not only was this the third-fastest time in program history in the event, but the fifth-place finish overall included nationally-ranked teams (No. 2 Northern Arizona) and Mountain Region-ranked programs as well (No. 14 New Mexico State).
The team overall finished sixth in the event, scoring 163 points in the meet's event, averaging a time of 23:18. There were nine programs that competed where eight of them placed, consisting of 74 different runners.
Ruiz's recent award marks the
second time she's earned the title in the 2023 season, being named the Mountain West Women's Cross Country Athlete of the Week two weeks ago after breaking UNLV's 5K record at her first race of the season in the
UC Riverside Invitational. Her final time of 17:02.2 in the event tore down a 35-year old school record, as well as winning the event by almost 20 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher.
The Rebels are under new leadership with track & field/cross country head coach
Carmelita Jeter and cross country assistant coach
Adam Meyer, both in their first season at UNLV.
NEXT FOR THE REBELS: The Running Rebels will next compete at the Santa Clara Bronco Invitational on Saturday, Oct. 14 in Santa Clara, Calif. The race will take place in Baylands Regional Park.
