IOWA CITY, Iowa – University of Iowa women’s cross country freshman Elena Torres was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week, the league announced on Wednesday.
A native of Loveland, Colorado, Torres earned the honor for the second time this season following her performance at the Gans Creek Classic on Sept. 27. Torres led the Hawkeyes with a 6,000-meter personal best of 21:07.4.
“I was impressed with Elena’s race,” associate head coach of cross country Randy Hasenbank said. “This was a very large field of 330 runners. She got out well, was not intimidated at all, and methodically moved up throughout the race.”
Torres won this award for the first time on Sept. 18, after her performance at the Big Ten Preview. She was the first freshman to cross the line in the 6,000-meter race for the Hawkeyes, finishing in 21:23.1.
In her collegiate debut at the Hawkeye Invite on Aug. 30, Torres placed fifth overall in the 4,000-meter race (14:21.6).