Cornejo, Bove Sweep Big West XC Athlete of the Week Awards
10/22/2024 4:00:00 PM | Cross Country
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — For the first time since Oct. 1, 2019, Cal Poly swept the Big West weekly cross country awards on Tuesday as graduate student Davis Bove was crowned the Men’s Athlete of the Week while junior Tatiana Cornejo secured Women’s Athlete of the Week honors.
This is the second time Bove has garnered the praise this season and the fourth time overall. For Cornejo, this is her first time receiving a Big West weekly award in cross country.
This marks the third time this season a Mustang has won the Big West Men’s XC Athlete of the Week award, while Cornejo is Cal Poly’s first winner on the women’s side since Miranda Daschian on Oct. 1, 2019.
Cornejo’s honor comes as no surprise after a stellar performance at the Bronco Invitational hosted by Santa Clara on Saturday. The Elk Grove, Calif. native won the women’s 6K individual title at the meet with a time of 20:14.4, the fastest ran in the conference this past week. Cornejo led the Mustang women to the team title in dominant fashion as Cal Poly finished 75 points in front of second-place UC Davis. It was the third straight meet Cornejo was Cal Poly’s top finisher. Last year, the Elk Grove, Calif. native earned USTFCCCA All-West Region honors by capturing 23rd at the NCAA West Regional meet.
Bove rightfully earned this week’s Big West Men’s Athlete of the Week award after yet another impressive performance in his second meet of the season. The Franklin, Tenn. native placed 15th overall in a loaded field at the Pre-Nationals meet hosted by Wisconsin, finishing with an 8K time of 23:08.6 — the best ran in the conference this past week. In his season debut at the Sean Earl Lakefront Invitational on Oct. 4, the 2023 All-West Region honoree and NCAA qualifier ran an 8K personal best (22:56.5) to secure sixth place overall and earn Big West Men’s XC Athlete of the Week honors for the first time this season.
With the regular season over, the Mustangs are now gearing up for the 2024 Big West Championships slated for Saturday, Nov. 2, at UC Riverside’s Ag/Ops Course. Cal Poly is seeking to sweep the Big West men’s and women’s team titles for the third consecutive year.
Players Mentioned
