UNLV CROSS COUNTRY’S NATALIA RUIZ NAMED MOUNTAIN WEST FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK FOR A THIRD TIME
Ruiz placed fourth out of 262 runners at UC Riverside’s Highlander Invitational on Saturday
UNLV cross country’s Natalia Ruiz was named the Mountain West Freshman of the Week for the third time, the league announced Tuesday.
Ruiz, originally from Madrid, Spain, led her team once again, finishing fourth individually out of 262 runners Saturday morning at the Highlander Invitational, which was hosted by UC Riverside at the Agg Course in Riverside, California. Ruiz ran the 6K in a time of 20:39.
“I couldn’t be happier for Natalia,” said UNLV Track & Field/Cross Country Head Coach Dorian Scott. “I am thrilled that her efforts, along with Coach Zaven’s, are being recognized and spotlighted by the Mountain West Conference. Natalia is a very special talent and her hard work is being put on display each meet she runs. She is doing a great job of showing that cross country can be run in the desert. Coach Zaven has also done a great job of navigating not having a cross country course of our own and coming up with great training plans all over town. Natalia now having won this award three times is really big to help create a spark for the sport at UNLV.”
In a total of four events over her collegiate career, Ruiz has three victories and this fourth-place finish. She was also named the MW’s Athlete and Freshman of the Week on Oct. 12 and the league’s Freshman of the Week on Sept. 28.
NEXT FOR THE REBELS: UNLV will be back in action at Cal State Fullerton on Friday, October 22, then will compete at the Mountain West Championships in Albuquerque, New Mexico on Friday, October 29
