NEW YORK – Providence's Gabby Schmidt and Villanova's Bailey Habler have been selected as the BIG EAST Athletes of the Week in Cross Country.  Schmidt finished fourth overall at the Princeton Meadows Challenge, helping the Friars to a third place finish as a team.  Habler was Villanova's top finisher at the Princeton Meadows Challenge, crossing the line in fifth place.

BIG EAST Female Athlete of the Week
Gabby Schmidt, Providence, Jr.
Schmidt earns her second weekly honor of the season after leading the Friars at the Princeton Meadows Challenge.  The junior finished fourth overall, covering the six-kilometer course in a time of 19:53.9.  She led the Friars to a third place team finish, ahead of three nationally ranked teams in the field.

BIG EAST Male Athlete of the Week
Bailey Habler, Villanova, Sr.
Habler placed fifth at the Princeton Meadows Challenge, clocking 23:18.6 for the eight-kilometer course.  He paced four Wildcat finishers among the top 25 of the race, leading to a third place finish as a team.  Nova finished behind two top 10 teams and ahead of two teams which had ranked ahead of it on the regional rankings from the previous week.    

Women's Notes – Providence's third place team finish at Princeton placed it ahead of three nationally ranked squads...the Friars totaled 87 points, placing its top five among the top 30 of the race...Three other BIG EAST teams raced at Princeton - UConn, Villanova and Georgetown...the Huskies placed ninth overall, led by Sasha Letica's 35th place finish in a time of 20:47.9...for Villanova, Tilly O'Connor made her season debut and placed ninth overall in a time of 20:01.8, while the Wildcats placed 11th...Tess Sherry was the first Hoya to cross the finish line (65th, 21:16.6) as Georgetown was 16th as a team...Sadie Kibelstis won the Jim Allen Classic for Marquette, covering the 6K course in a time of 22:41.7...the Golden Eagles saw all five scorers cross the line among the top 11, taking the team crown with 25 points...DePaul placed sixth as a team in the open division at the Sean Earl Loyola Lakefront Invitational...Kalina Urbaniak was the top finisher for the Blue Demons, clocking 20:48.02 for the 6K course - good for eighth place.

Men's Notes – Villanova's third place finish at the Princeton Meadows Challenge saw it finish close behind two top 10 nationally ranked teams, and first among all Mid-Atlantic region squads...Two other BIG EAST teams competed at Princeton - Georgetown was fourth while Providence placed 10th...Birhanu Harriman was the top finisher for the Hoyas, placing seventh overall in a time of 23:21.3...the Friars were led by Cormac Dixon's 37th place finish in a time of 23:53.2...DePaul finished first as a team in the open division race at the Sean Earl Loyola Lakefront Invitational...the Blue Demons saw all five scorers finish among the top 12 in a gap of 47.24 seconds, led by Mohamed Abdullahi who placed second overall in a time of 23:50.94 for 8K...Marquette's Dylan Riniker placed third at the Jim Allen Classic at Veterans Park in Milwaukee, covering the 7K course in 21:32.5...the Golden Eagles placed all five scorers among the top nine, taking the team title.

In The Polls – The USTFCCCA national poll #2 was released on Sept. 29.  On the women's poll, Providence moved into the rankings, sitting at No. 24.  For the men, Butler is No. 21, while Villanova moved into the rankings at No. 24.  Georgetown was the top team receiving votes (22) - two outside of the national top 30.

On the week #2 regional polls, released on Sept. 28, several BIG EAST teams are featured:
Women
Mid-Atlantic: 4. Villanova; 8. Georgetown
Northeast: 1. Providence; 5. UConn

Men
Great Lakes: 4. Butler
Mid-Atlantic: 1. Villanova; 2. Georgetown
Northeast: 5. Providence