TicketsCINCINNATI — University of Cincinnati senior Rylee Penn was named American Athletic Conference Women's Track Athlete of the Week on Tuesday.
Penn earned the distinction after her performance at the Bob Pollock Invitational last Friday. This is the first time in her career that she has received the honor.
"We are so proud of Rylee's accomplishments," head coach Susan Seaton said. "It's one of the greatest comeback stories."
"Rylee has had a handful of injuries during her collegiate career," women's distance coach Sarah Anderson said. "When I took over the program in August, we made some adjustments to her training, and it's been amazing watching the pieces fall into place with her."
The Corona, Calif., native earned the distinction after she shattered the Cincinnati women's indoor 3,000-meter record with a time of 9:14.54. She bested fellow teammate senior Maddie Walker's previous school record by a full 15 seconds. Her time is also a full 15 seconds faster than the second-best time in the American Athletic Conference and ranks 19th in the nation.
Penn not only won the 3,000-meter race but also won the women's one-mile with a personal best of 4:37.19. Penn's time is the second fastest in UC history and only three seconds behind the record. Her mile time ranks first in the AAC and 24th in the nation.
"Rylee brings an immense about of positivity and grit to our team, and she executes races at a very high level," Anderson said. "Watching her outkick some nationally ranked runners this past weekend was an awesome experience to watch. We have a few more exciting races on deck for her this indoor season, with some big goals looking ahead to indoor conferences and beyond. Really proud I can share this moment with her."
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Cincinnati will be splitting squads this weekend as Penn and the rest of the Bearcat distance runners will head to Notre Dame for the Meyo Invitational, while the sprinters and field athletes will head to Blacksburg, Va., for the Doc Hale Meet. Both meets begin on Friday, Feb. 3 and end Saturday, Feb. 4.
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For all the latest information on Cincinnati Track and Field/Cross Country, please visit GoBEARCATS.com. and follow @GoBearcatsTFXC on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Penn earned the distinction after her performance at the Bob Pollock Invitational last Friday. This is the first time in her career that she has received the honor.
"We are so proud of Rylee's accomplishments," head coach Susan Seaton said. "It's one of the greatest comeback stories."
"Rylee has had a handful of injuries during her collegiate career," women's distance coach Sarah Anderson said. "When I took over the program in August, we made some adjustments to her training, and it's been amazing watching the pieces fall into place with her."
The Corona, Calif., native earned the distinction after she shattered the Cincinnati women's indoor 3,000-meter record with a time of 9:14.54. She bested fellow teammate senior Maddie Walker's previous school record by a full 15 seconds. Her time is also a full 15 seconds faster than the second-best time in the American Athletic Conference and ranks 19th in the nation.
Penn not only won the 3,000-meter race but also won the women's one-mile with a personal best of 4:37.19. Penn's time is the second fastest in UC history and only three seconds behind the record. Her mile time ranks first in the AAC and 24th in the nation.
"Rylee brings an immense about of positivity and grit to our team, and she executes races at a very high level," Anderson said. "Watching her outkick some nationally ranked runners this past weekend was an awesome experience to watch. We have a few more exciting races on deck for her this indoor season, with some big goals looking ahead to indoor conferences and beyond. Really proud I can share this moment with her."
// UP NEXT
Cincinnati will be splitting squads this weekend as Penn and the rest of the Bearcat distance runners will head to Notre Dame for the Meyo Invitational, while the sprinters and field athletes will head to Blacksburg, Va., for the Doc Hale Meet. Both meets begin on Friday, Feb. 3 and end Saturday, Feb. 4.
// FOLLOW THE BEARCATS
For all the latest information on Cincinnati Track and Field/Cross Country, please visit GoBEARCATS.com. and follow @GoBearcatsTFXC on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.