Oct. 19, 2005
SAN DIEGO - San Diego State sophomore Lital Azulay (Holon, Israel) has been named the Mountain West Conference Cross Country Athlete of the Week for the second time this season, the conference office announced Wednesday. Azulay shared the award with the men's winner, Josh Rohatinsky of Brigham Young.
Azulay becomes the second Aztec in the conference's seven-year history to be named athlete of the week twice in one season. Marie Nilsson was also a two-time honoree for SDSU during the 2003 season. In addition to Azulay and Nilsson, previous Aztec winners include Jennifer Stakiw (2002), Alicia Stewart (2001), Kylie Edwards (2000) and Sophia Hawker (1999).
Azulay earned the award for her performance at last Saturday's Santa Clara Invitational in Sunnyvale, Calif. She won the individual title out of 79 runners, helping SDSU claim its first meet victory since 2003. Her 5K time of 17:03.10 is a career best and ranks as the fifth-fastest time in Aztec history, as well as a conference season-best.
Azulay has been SDSU's top finisher in four straight meets, propelling the Aztecs to their first-ever regional ranking this season. SDSU entered the polls on Oct. 3 and is currently ranked No. 8 in the West Region according to the Women's Intercollegiate Cross Country Coaches Association (WICCCA).
San Diego State will have this weekend off before traveling to Fort Collins, Colo., for the Mountain West Conference championships on Oct. 29, set to begin at 11 a.m. MDT at Collindale Golf Course.