MWC Announces Cross Country Athletes of the Week

New Mexico's Jacob Kirwa and BYU's Cecily Lemmon Lew earn the awards

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Oct. 20, 2009

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - New Mexico senior Jacob Kirwa and BYU junior Cecily Lemmon Lew have been selected as the Mountain West Conference men's and women's cross country athletes of the week, respectively.

Kirwa led the No. 19 Lobos for the third time this fall, finishing seventh overall in a field of 237 at the Indiana State Pre-Nationals Invitational held in Terre Haute, Ind. The Eldoret, Kenya, native clocked an 8K time of 23:51.70, crossing the finish line just 24 seconds behind the lead runner. He was the highest finisher among MWC harriers and Mountain Region runners, and his efforts helped New Mexico to a seventh-place finish.

Lew, from Vacaville, Calif., placed second out of 267 runners at the Chile Pepper Invitational held in Fayetteville, Ark. She covered the 6K course in 20:32.56, just one second behind the first-place finisher, to lead the No. 21 Cougars to a runner-up finish. The time is a career best and currently ranks first on the league's season best times list for the 6K distance.