NEW YORK – Georgetown's Melissa Riggins and Birhanu Harriman have earned BIG EAST Cross Country Athlete of the Week honors.

Riggins won the women's Gold 6K run this past weekend at the Paul Short Run in Bethlehem, Pa., pacing Georgetown to a third place finish as a team.  Harriman placed second overall in the men's Gold 8K run, clocking 23:19.2 as he led the Hoyas to the team title.

BIG EAST Female Athlete of the Week
Melissa Riggins, Georgetown, Gr. 
In her season debut, Riggins won the women's gold 6K race at the Paul Short Run.  Riggins' time of 19:34.8  in Bethlehem, Pa.  She clocked a time of 19:34.8, more than two seconds ahead of the next closest competitor, helping guide the Hoyas to a third place finish as a team.  It was her fastest 6K cross country time.

BIG EAST Male Athlete of the Week
Birhanu Harriman, Georgetown, Jr. 
Harriman's second place finish at the Paul Short run helped pace Georgetown to the team title in the men's Gold 8K.  He set a new personal best time for 8K, covering the course in 23:19.2 - good for second place individually.  He led a closely-bunched Hoya pack, as the top five scorers finished within 52 seconds of each other. 

Women's Notes – Several BIG EAST teams competed at the Paul Short Run...Villanova captured the women's Gold 6K race at the Paul Short Run for the first time since 2000, led individually by Margaret Carroll, who placed third overall (19:38.3)...three Wildcats finished among the top 10...Connecticut placed sixth as a team in the Gold 6K as Brooke Strauss led the Huskies with her 24th place finish (20:22.4)...Seton Hall competed in the Paul Short Run Brown 6K, placing 14th as a team...Xavier raced at the Louisville Cross Country Classic, finishing sixth as a team...Myla Toole was the top finisher for the Musketeers, clocking 17:26.10 in the Gold 5K race...Butler also raced at Louisville, placing 13th as a team, with Hannah Moore placing 33rd (17:36.0)...Taylor Rorick led Creighton at the Briar Cliff XC Invite, finishing second overall in a time of 21:29.37 for 6K...the Bluejays were second as a team...Vivian Wyller was the top DePaul finisher at the Joe Piane Invitational, crossing the line in 17:51.1 for the 5K race...the Blue Demons were ninth as a team...Emma Coon led Marquette to a 15th place finish at the Joe Piane Invitational...Coon crossed the finish line in 24th place (18:07.4)...Providence was 10th at the Sean Earl Loyola Lakefront Invite, led by Gabby Schmidt's 26th place finish in the 6K race (20:19.21).

Men's Notes – Charlie Moore was seventh overall in the Gold 8K race at the Paul Short Run, clocking 23:24.1 and pacing Villanova to an eighth place finish as a team...Two BIG EAST squads competed at the Joe Piane Invitational in South Bend, Ind. - Marquette and DePaul...the Golden Eagles were 12th as a team, led by Nick Parell's 28th place finish (25:02.4) for the 8K race...DePaul's Mohamed Abdullahi was fourth overall in a personal-best time of 24:27.3, leading the Blue Demons to a 14th place finish as a team...Jackson Triplett led Xavier at the Louisville Cross Country Classic, finishing 65th (24:58.50)...Oliver Annus made his season debut for Creighton at the Briar Cliff XC Invite, placing fifth in a time of 25:21.60 for 8K, as the Bluejays finished second as a team...Providence was ninth as a team at the Sean Earl Loyola Lakefront Invitational...the Friars were led by Oliver Neate, who placed 32nd (24:14.94) in his first collegiate race...on Sept. 29, Butler finished seventh among a highly-rated field at the Gans Creek Classic in Columbia, Mo., led by William Zegarski's 14th place finish in a time of 22:59.9 (8K).

In The Polls – Two BIG EAST men's teams and two women's squads are among the top 30 on the 2025 national poll (week one), released on Oct. 7.  For the men, Butler is No. 12 and Georgetown is No. 24, while Villanova is receiving votes. On the women's side, Villanova checks in at No. 19, followed by Georgetown at No. 22, and Providence at No. 28.

Several BIG EAST teams are featured among the regional rankings, released on Oct. 6.  For the women, Providence ranks second in the Northeast, followed by Connecticut in fourth.  Villanova and Georgetown are third and fourth, respectively, in the Mid-Atlantic, while Xavier is 14th in the Great Lakes.  On the men's rankings, Georgetown and Villanova are second and fifth, respectively in the Mid-Atlantic, while Butler sits in third in the Great Lakes. Providence is seventh in the Northeast.