UW’s Page and Zans Named MW Cross Country Athletes of the Week

The University of Wyoming’s Holly Page and Garrett Zans have been named the Mountain West Cross Country Athletes of the Week, the conference office announced on Tuesday. It is the first time ever UW has won both MW female and male accolades in one week, as Page and Zans earned the honor for the first time in their careers.

Page topped 52 fellow competitors at last Friday’s Utah Valley Invitational in Orem, Utah, to claim her second career individual title and pace the Cowgirls to their first team title since 2004. The junior finished the 5-kilometer course in 18:03 for her first win since last season’s Montana State Invitational. Her time is currently the second-fastest 5k in the MW this season. She has now led Wyoming in each of the last eight cross country races, including all of the 2012 season. UW’s second finisher has come within Page just three times during that stretch, including the closest of 21 seconds by Audra DeStefano at Utah Valley. Page is the first Cowgirl to earn MW Cross Country AOW since Christine Nelson on Sept. 21, 2010.

Zans claimed the men’s individual title last weekend in Orem, as his first collegiate win in cross country helped the Cowboys win the team title as well. The senior bested the 46-person field over the 6-kilometer course in a time of 18:08 for the first individual title for a Cowboy since Mark Korir won the 2008 MW Championships. Zans’ time was the fourth fastest by a UW runner over a 6-kilometer course since 1990 and is currently the fastest 6k in the MW this season.

Wyoming’s team title was its first since the first meet of the 2011 season. In 20 career races, Zans has finished in UW’s top three in all but one race and has finished in UW’s top two in 15. He has led Wyoming in six races during his career. Zans is the first Cowboy to earn MW Cross Country AOW since Mark Korir on Oct. 21, 2008.  Wyoming continues its season at the Roy Griak Invitational on Sept. 28 in Minneapolis, Minn.