Batty Wins Second Athlete of the Week Award

COLORADO SPRINGS -- For the second time of the 2010 season, BYU junior Miles Batty has garnered Mountain West Conference Men’s Cross Country Athlete of the Week honors.

The Sandy native took first place overall at the University of California Riverside Invitational with a time of 23:52.5, the fastest 8K time in the MWC this season.

BYU’s top runner was also recognized for helping the Cougars to a 26-point performance for the team’s second win in as many competitions.

“Batty showed some leadership in a very crowded race with close to 400 people,” head coach Ed Eyestone said. “He could have run out in front but chose to run strong in the lead pack and encourage his teammates, even dropping back for a while to help them out.”

The award is Batty’s fourth for his collegiate career. Next up, he and the rest of the Cougars will compete at the Roy Griak Invitational on Sept. 25 in St. Paul, Minn. The 8K race will begin at 11:20 a.m. MT.