Sophomore Ashton Villeneuve of the Utica College women’s cross country team was named the College’s Female Athlete of the Week on Monday.
In only her second year of competitive running, Villeneuve has taken the Utica College cross country program to new heights, becoming the first Pioneer to qualify for the NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships. The Holland Patent graduate holds team records at five and six kilometers, and once again broke the six-kilometer record at Saturday’s NCAA Atlantic Regional with a time of 21:42. Villeneuve has been UC’s top finisher at every race she has participated in this season.
Her time was good for tenth place, which allowed her to be selected as an at-large participant in this year’s NCAA Championship meet. The first seven athletes from each region that are not part of a qualifying team are selected to participate.
The 2013 NCAA Championships will be held at Hanover College in Hanover, IN on Nov. 23, at its nationally renowned cross country course. The women's race will begin at 11 a.m.