LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) – UNLV junior Natalia Ruiz was named the Mountain West Women's Cross Country Athlete of the Week for the sixth time in her career on Tuesday.
Ruiz, a native of Madrid, Spain, took first place in school-record fashion at the UC Riverside Invitational Saturday morning.
It was her first competition of the 2023 season, where she ran the 5K in a time of 17:02.2. It was also a personal record, as she finished almost 20 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher.
The UNLV record had stood for almost 35 years as Angie Fortner had set it back in 1988 at the NCAA West Regional with a time of 17:04.0.
As a team, UNLV finished fourth with 150 points and an average time of 18:31. There were a total of 21 teams and 240 individuals that competed.
NEXT FOR THE REBELS: UNLV's next race will be Friday, Sept. 29 at 7 a.m. at the Dave Murray Invitational in Tucson, Arizona.
