NEW YORK – DePaul's Kalina Urbaniak and Butler's William Zegarski have been named the BIG EAST Athletes of the Week in Cross Country.  Urbaniak placed ninth at the National Catholic Championship, helping the Blue Demons to a second place finish.  Zegarski placed 12th in a stacked national-caliber field at the John McNichols Invitational.

BIG EAST Female Athlete of the Week
Kalina Urbaniak, DePaul, Sr.
Urbaniak placed ninth overall at the National Catholic Championships, held at Notre Dame on Sept. 18.  The senior covered the 5-kilometer course in a time of 17:39.4 - the third-fastest 5K cross country time in program history.  She helped pace the Blue Demons to a runner-up finish as a team, placing four runners among the top 25 of the race.

BIG EAST Male Athlete of the Week
William Zegarski, Butler, Sr.
Zegarski was Butler's top finisher at the John McNichols Invitational in Terre Haute, Ind., crossing the line in 12th place while covering the 8-kilometer course in a time of 24:00.7. It was the season debut for the 2025 BIG EAST Cross Country champion. The No. 16 Bulldogs placed 10th as a team in a highly-competitive 34-team field.

Women's Notes – Hannah Jicha led Villanova to a first-place finish at the Main Line Invitational at Haverford College...Jicha was third overall in a time of 17:49.3 for 5K, finishing five seconds off the winning pace...The Wildcats placed three runners among the top eight finishers...DePaul placed second at the National Catholic Championship, as three Blue Demon runners recorded top 10 performances for 5K on the day...it marked the first time in school history that DePaul placed second in both the men's and women's races at the event...UConn's Claire Paci was 14th overall at the Dartmouth Invitational, helping guide the Huskies to an eighth-place team finish...Paci set a new 6K personal best, clocking 21:42.1.

Men's Notes – Butler raced to a 10th place finish at the John McNichols Invitational on Sept. 18, matching up against a field featuring 14 nationally-ranked teams...it marked the first race of the season for several members of the Bulldogs' 2025 NCAA squad...DePaul placed second at the National Catholic Championship, held at Notre Dame...four Blue Demons finished among the top 25 of the meet, led by freshman Alex Krieg who placed 11th in his first collegiate 8K race in a time of 24:13.5...Villanova had four athletes compete at the Main Line Invitational, led by senior Dan Watcke's 20:05.9 for the four-mile course.

In The Polls – The first national poll of the 2026 regular season was released on Tuesday, Sept. 22.  For the women's poll, Villanova is ranked No. 29, with Providence and Georgetown also receiving votes.  On the men's side, Butler sits at No. 20 on this week's poll, with Villanova and Georgetown receiving votes.

The first regular season USTFCCCA regional poll was released on Monday, Sept. 21. Several BIG EAST teams are featured among the USTFCCCA Regional rankings: 

Women
Great Lakes: 14. Butler
Mid-Atlantic: 4. Villanova; 5. Georgetown
Northeast: 2. Providence; 5. UConn

Men
Great Lakes: 4. Butler
Mid-Atlantic: 2. Georgetown; 3. Villanova
Northeast: 3. Providence