NEW YORK – In a week of some very strong performances by conference teams and individuals in major meets, Villanova takes both weekly individual awards with top-five finishes at the Paul Short Run in Bethlehem, Pa.  Josh Phillips has been named BIG EAST Male Athlete of the Week and Lydia Olivere has been tabbed BIG EAST Female Athlete of the Week.

BIG EAST Male Athlete of the Week
Josh Phillips, Villanova, Sr.
Phillips took second place in a 2-3 Villanova finish at the Paul Short Run among a field of 40 teams and 357 competitors in the event’s Gold Race.  Phillips covered the 8K in 23:31.3, the 10^th fastest time ever run on the Lehigh course.  Villanova finished just one point behind first-place North Carolina in the team standings.  Teammate Haftu Strintzos took third in 23:33.9.

BIG EAST Female Athlete of the Week
Lydia Olivere, Villanova, Sr.
Olivere placed third in the Gold Race at the Paul Short Run in a field of more than 300 runners.  She posted the second fastest time of her career on a 6K course with a time of 20:03.0.  Villanova tied No. 12 Northern Arizona for first place in the team standings.  The Wildcats placed three runners among the top six.  Freshman Sadie Sigfstead (20:04.7) took fifth and junior Maggie Smith was sixth (20:12.1).

BIG EAST Notes
The Georgetown women were close behind Villanova at the Paul Short Run.  Maggie Donahue led a pack of Hoyas with an eighth-place individual finish in a time of 20:14.1.  The Hoyas boasted less than a 7.0-second spread with its first four runners in eighth, 10^th, 11^th and 12^th…The Butler men competed at the Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational with the Georgetown men.  In his season debut, Barry Keane placed 10^th overall with an 8K time of 23:41.7.  The Bulldogs’ team total of 177 points came in behind No. 19 Furman and No. 25 Michigan, but ahead of host No. 2 Notre Dame and six other ranked teams.  The Georgetown men were led by Matthew Young, who led the Hoyas, finishing 22^nd with a time of 23:59.3.    The Butler women placed 11^th in the elite Blue Race at the Joe Piane Invitational.  Angelina Ellis led the Bulldogs with a 30^th-place finish in the 5K run with a time of 16:50.1,  Butler finished ahead of nationally-ranked Illinois (No. 23), host Notre Dame (No. 19) and Indiana (No. 17)…Xavier, DePaul and Marquette competed at the Lou Cross Country Classic at E.P. “Tom” Sawyer State Park.  In the women’s race, the Musketeers got a ninth-place finish from senior Rachel Butler in a field of 399 runners.  She posted a 5K time of 16:50.5, the second fastest time in program history.  DePaul’s top performer was junior Olivia Borowiak, who took 31^st with a time of 17:18.5.  Marquette was led by junior Kendall Pfrimmer who was 66^th with a season-best time of 17:46.6.  In the men’s race, Xavier grad student Grady Harless recorded a fifth-place finish with a time of 24:50.8 in the Blue 8K race, the seventh-fastest time in program history.  DePaul was led by senior Shane Knanishu, who crossed the finish line in 43^rd place with a time of 24:17.7.  Marquette had freshman Dan Weizeorick as its team lead with a time of 25:03.9 and a finish in 116^th place…Seton Hall senior Cole Kretlow notched his second victory of the fall season with a first-place finish at the Highlander XC Challenge.  He won the 8k race in a field of 29 runners with a time of 25:17.82.   
National Polls – The latest USTFCCCA polls were released on Sept. 28.  In the men’s poll, Butler is No. 10, Villanova is tied for No. 23 and Georgetown is receiving votes.  In the women’s poll, Georgetown is No. 15, Connecticut is No. 21, Providence is No. 24, Connecticut is 27 and Villanova is receiving votes.