South Carolina freshman Monica York was named the Southeastern Conference freshman runner of the week, the league office announced yesterday.
The accolade comes after York placed first in the second USC Open, registering a two-mile time of 11:53.95. The win is York's first collegiate victory, and her time lands her inside the top 20 two-mile times posted by SEC runners this season. She defeated 41 other participants on her way to the top spot.
"The interesting thing to me is she seems to be a little bit more of a distance runner," assistant coach Andrew Allden said. "If you would have asked me, I would have thought that 6K would have favored her a little more than two miles. But it's interesting to see that she's progressing so well that she was able to step up and win the two mile today as well."
York finished 14th in her first race of the season in the Carolina Invitational, then finished 16th in the first USC Open. She collected a 32nd-place and a 54th-place finish in her two 6K races before the second USC Open.
In addition to a first-place individual finish, the Gamecocks also claimed first place in the second USC Open, which is the team's fourth win of the year.
South Carolina returns to action Friday when the team competes in the Crimson Classic in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.