NEW YORK – In an extremely impressive week for BIG EAST cross country when seven individuals captured first-place finishes, two were runners-up and six programs won team titles, Providence’s Marcelo Rocha has been named BIG EAST Male Athlete of the Week and Butler’s Mia Beckham has been tabbed BIG EAST Female Athlete of the Week. 

BIG EAST Male Athlete of the Week
Marcelo Rocha, Providence, Gr.
Rocha won the individual title at the Friar Invitational with an 8K time of 24:29.64 at the Mark Coogan Course at Highland Park in Attleboro, Mass.  Rocha led for nearly the entire race, finishing more than 30 seconds ahead of the next competitor.  The Friars registered 29 points to win the meet, ahead of Stony Brook (34), Boston College (77) and New Hampshire (102).

BIG EAST Female Athlete of the Week
Mia Beckham, Butler, R-Jr.
Beckham pulled away from teammate Angelina Ellis in the final 300 meters to claim the individual title in the IUPUI Jaguar Classic held at the Northview Church Course, where the BIG EAST Championship will be held on October 29.  Beckham covered the 6K course in 20:59.9.  The Butler women won the meet.

BIG EAST Notes
Women’s News – Georgetown won the Penn State Harry Graves Spiked Shoe Invitational against a stacked field.  Junior Maggie Donahue finished the 6K course in second place, moving up four spots in the final 1,200 meters.  Her time was 20:46.2.  The No. 20 Hoyas, with 48 points, beat a field that included No. 9 Minnesota, No. 11 Michigan, (rv) Syracuse, No. 28 Ohio State and host Penn State…Seton Hall won the in-state Bill Fritz Invitational with junior Nancy Habib taking individual honors after covering the 6K course in 23:45.5.  The Pirates also won the team competition in the three-team meet…St. John’s Claire Cushing won first-place honors at the Fordham Fiasco when she ran the 5K course in 19:08.  The Red Storm finished in second place in the team standings behind the host Rams.  Cushing’s time was her career best by more than 30 seconds and she finished more than 12 seconds ahead of her nearest competitor…Laura Mooney helped Providence to a comfortable win in the Friar Invitational with a first-place finish and a time of 17:51.31.  The Friars, who are ranked 26^th nationally, also won the team competition…Connecticut was another one of the team winners, capturing first place at the Ken O’Brien Minuteman Invitational at the UMass Cross Country Course.  Senior Mia Nahom finished second in her first fall event, posting a time of 17:20 over 6K.  All five of the UConn runners finished in the top 10.  The field included six teams.  The Huskies have won both of their meets this fall. 

Men’s News – Like its women’s team, the Butler men were victorious competing at the IUPUI Invitational held at the Northview Church course.  The ninth-ranked Bulldogs were paced by Jesse Hamlin, who won the 8K race in a time of 24:21.3.  Butler had five of the top six finishers…The Seton Hall men also matched their women’s team, taking first place in the Bill Fritz Invitational.  Senior Cole Kretlow was the individual winner with a time of 26:46.1 over 8K…The Georgetown men took third place in a field of six teams at the Penn State Harry Groves Spiked Shoe Invitational.  The top Hoya was junior Shea Weilbaker, who turned in a time of 25:28.1 over the 5.2-mile course and finished eighth.  Georgetown, with 67 points, finished third behind No. 26 Michigan (41) and Syracuse (48).