Roper Named C-USA Cross Country Athlete of the Year

Dec. 12, 2014

IRVING, Texas - Rice sophomore Cali Roper became the first runner in school history to be awarded the Conference USA Cross Country Female Athlete of the Year award, the league announced on Friday.

Roper, from Willis, Texas, advanced all the way to the NCAA Championships (placing 47th) after finishing fifth at the NCAA South Central Regionals, where she set a school record in the 6K and was named to the NCAA All-Regional Team. Prior to that, Roper became the first Owl in school history to win a C-USA individual title, placing first at the C-USA Championships in November with a time of 16:43 in the 5K.

"This is a well-deserved honor for Cali," Rice women's track and field head coach Jim Bevan said. "She's already gone through a lot in her career, being injured for a whole year as a freshman. Now she's developing into the national caliber runner we all knew she could be. She's shown perseverance and her competitive ability to race come competition day is second to none. She's a great student-athlete and teammate and I couldn't be prouder of her."

Also a C-USA All-Academic Team selection, Roper was the Owls' top finisher in all six races this season and had four individual victories. In addition, she was twice named the C-USA Athlete of the Week.

-RiceOwls.com-

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