University of Nevada Las Vegas

AWARDS
- All-Mountain West Honoree - 10,000m (2025)
- Cross Country All-Mountain West Honorable Mention (2023)
- Mountain West Track Athlete of the Week (2024)
- 4x Mountain West Cross Country Athlete of the Week
- 3x Mountain West Cross Country Freshman of the Week (2021)
- Mehdi Bouras Female Scholar Athlete of the Year (2024)
- Fall Mountain West Academic All-Conference (2023)
- MW Scholar-Athlete Award recipient (2024-25)
- 3x Raising Canes Outstanding Rebel of the Week
- Academic All-MW (Spring 2025)

Senior (2024-25): Set program record in the 3000m, tearing down a 25-year mark on a final time of 9:39.34 at the Desert Heat Classic with a runner-up finish ... Rewrote the UNLV record book in the 10,000m on a final time of 34:30.72 at the MW Outdoor Championships with a third-place showing ... Ran a career-best 1500m time of 4:28.43 at the Jim Bush Legends with a 10th-place performance ... Placed first overall in the 3000m (10:03.71) at the Don Kirby Elite Invitational ... Recorded a runner-up finish in the 1500m (4:33.45) at the UNLV Rebel ELITE.

Junior (2023-24): Became the first UNLV cross country runner to win All-Mountain West honors since 2008, finishing 14th overall on a final time of 20:39.4 ... Set the program record in the women's 5K, tearing down a 35-year mark on a final time of 17:02.2 at the UC Riverside Invitational ... Also won two Mountain West Cross Country Athlete of the Week awards ... Rewrote the UNLV record book in the season-opening indoor meet, finishing the women's 3000m on a final time of 9:21.39 mark at the Sharon-Colyear Danville Season Opener.

Sophomore (2022-23): Ruiz placed set program record in 6k race (19:49:0) at Santa Clara Bronco Invitational....  Secured first place in 5k race (18:25.4) at Steve T. Reeder Memorial Invitational for the second consecutive season... Finished top 160 at NCAA Regionals (21:34.0)... Earned first place at the Spanish Championship in 2023 and third place in 2022.

Freshman (2021-22): Secured first place in the Mile (5:09.06) and in the 3000 meter (10:41.56) at the Friday Night Aze'em Open... Placed first in the 5k run at the UCR 40th Annual Cross Country Invitational with a time of 17:26.4, at the Coach Downey XC Classic (18:01.1) and at the Steve Reeder Memorial Invitational, finishing in 18:25.2...Finished first in the 5000 meter with a time of 17:03.55 at the Bob Larsen Distance Carnival... Earned fifth place in both the Mile (4:53.85) and the DMR (11:03.30) at the 2022 Mountain West Indoor Track & Field Championships. 

High School: Ran Track & Field at Logos International School in Madrid, Spain.

Personal: Natalia Ruiz Lara was born in Köln, Germany … Daughter of Luis Antonio Ruiz Álvarez and María del Carmen Lara López … Has four siblings, Luis, Alex, Silvia, and Carlos … She enjoys cooking, hiking, traveling and hanging out with friends... Majoring in psychology.