Sept. 11, 2007

IRVINE, Calif. --- UC Irvine junior Laura Olvera has been named the Big West Conference Athlete of the Week in women's cross country.

Olvera finished second of 123 runners with a time of 17:51.50 over 5,000 meters to lead the Anteaters to the team title of the Asics/UC Irvine Invitational last Saturday.

This is the third in her career that Olvera has earned the conference weekly honor. Last season she finished second at the Big West Championships, third at the NCAA West Regional and 83rd at the NCAA Championships.