Cross Country: Murto Named WAC Runner of the Week

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Cross Country: Murto Named WAC Runner of the Week

10/9/2000 12:00:00 AM | Women's Cross Country

HOUSTON - Rice freshman Shannon Murto was named the Western Athletic Conference women's runner of the week Monday after finishing 24th out of more than 230 runners at the Paul Short Invitational hosted by Lehigh Saturday in Bethlehem, Pa.

Murto, a native of Spring and a Klein High School graduate, clocked a time of 22:07.16 on the 6K course and passed 22 runners in the final 700 meters to pace the Owls to a ninth-place finish out of 34 teams. She had finished second overall to teammate Katie Waite in each of the first two races of the season.

"It was an impressive performance considering the longest distance she had run in high school was two miles," Rice women's cross country coach Jim Bevan said. "It is a big step up for a freshman."

Also nominated for the honor were San Jose State junior Ana Martinez and UTEP junior Anita Looper.

TCU's Herbert Mwangi earned the men's award by taking first in the North Texas Invitational.