FRISCO, Texas – The McNeese Cowboys and Cowgirls swept the opening Southland Conference Cross Country Runner of the Week awards, as announced by the league office Tuesday.
Men's Athlete of the Week: Omer El-Fadl, McNeese – Jr. – Doha, Qatar (Aspire Academy)
El-Fadl earned his first collegiate individual cross country win this past week. Finishing in a personal record time of 17:30.70, El-Fadl won the 6k race at the Lamar Early Bird Opener. In doing so, he helped lead the Cowboys to a second place overall team finish.
Women's Athlete of the Week: Jeny Barcenas, McNeese – So./Tr. – Bucaramanga, Colombia (Unidades Tecnologicas de Santander)
Barcenas finished third overall in the individual race at the Lamar Early Bird Opener. On her McNeese debut, Barcenas clocked a 4k time of 14:00.42. This helped enable the Cowgirls to take home the team title, edging out the University of Houston by one point.
2023 Southland Cross Country Runners of the Week
Southland weekly award winners are nominated and voted upon by each school's sports information director. Voting for one's own athlete is not permitted. To earn honorable mention, a student-athlete must appear on 25 percent of ballots.
