PacWest Release
Phoenix, AZ -- Junior
Kristen Sanzari's 2011 dominance continued this past Saturday at the 2011 Bronco Invitational and she has been named Pacific West Conference Women's Cross Country Runner of the Week for her performance. In addition to Sanzari's top result for Academy of Art, four other Urban Knights joined her on the PacWest Weekly Top 10 Honor Roll. Senior
Stacey Toth, sophomore
Kylie Long, senior
Jazmin White, and sophomore
Heather Castro all earned recognition for their efforts at the Bronco Invite. The honors were announced by the PacWest Media Office in Phoenix, AZ, on Wednesday, Oct. 19 for races contested on Oct. 15.
Saturday's meet saw a significant improvement for Sanzari on a 5k course in comparison to the season opener hosted by University of San Francisco. She not only reduced her time by over 15 seconds with the 19:31.1 time posted, but she also tied her highest placement of the season with 27th overall among runners from other four-year institutions. Sanzari crossed the line as the Knights' top finisher for the fourth consecutive occasion.
Toth came through with a 21:36.7 mark at the Bronco Invite to earn the second highest finish for Academy of Art. She placed 103rd overall, triumphing over qualifying runners from William Jessup, UC Santa Cruz, and University of the Pacific in the process.
In the third slot for ART U, Long turned in a time of 21:57.4 which was good for 109th overall. She stayed close with teammate Toth for a significant portion of the 5k race and was able to leg out the final stretch to finish in front of a close competitor from Simpson.
White wrapped up a successful final race before the PacWest Championships with her 22:26.6 time on the Baylands Park course. She improved on her mark at the USF Invitational by over four minutes and placed 116th in the end as Academy of Art's fourth qualifier.
Another solid performance at the meet came from Castro who also bested her previous 5k time by over one minute and 30 seconds. She picked up 123rd overall with her 23:03.9 time that effectively becomes her career best for a 5k distance.
After earning three PacWest Weekly Top 10 selections in three meets, Sanzari takes home her first Runner of the Week honor thus far. Toth collects her second PacWest Weekly honor this season and the third in her career while Long also picks up her second of 2011 and the fifth in her career. For White and Castro, this is their first career PacWest Weekly Top 10 honor.
