NORMAL — It was a double dip of awards for Alabama A&M cross country runner Laura Avila this week.
A junior from Medellin, Colombia, Avila was named the Southwestern Athletic Conference Women’s Cross Country Runner and Newcomer of the Week.
Avila posted a top-15 finish at the Belmont Opener as she ran the 5,000-meter course in 19:03.8 to place 14th.
The Bulldogs tallied 122 points to finish fifth, while Vanderbilt won the meet with 43 points. Belmont was second with 48 points, followed by Lipscomb (63) and Western Kentucky (74). Austin Peay finished sixth with 153 points and Tennessee State rounded out the field with 200 points.
Avila and her A&M teammates return to action Friday morning at the Southern Showcase in Huntsville’s John Hunt Park.
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