After shaving over 30 seconds off of his previous-best 8-K time and posting one of the top times in school history, University of Evansville junior cross country runner Ryan Witters (Evansville, Ind./Memorial) has been named this week’s UE Student-Athlete of the Week.

Witters posted an 8-K time of 25:25 on Friday afternoon to help the Purple Aces place fifth overall at the Great American Cross Country Festival in Cary, North Carolina in a field which included the likes of No. 27 Duke and regionally-ranked powers Maryland and Georgia Tech.  Witters’ time was 31 seconds faster than his previous-best 8-K?time, set as a freshman, and it ranks 23rd all-time at UE for the 8-K distance.

Witters’ performance continued a strong fall season for the UE?junior, who has led the Purple Aces in each of the season’s first five meets.  So far this year, he has posted four top 30 individual finishes, including placing 26th individually at the Great American Cross Country Festival, and two top 10 finishes. 

Witters and the Purple Aces have this week off from competition, before returning to the course next on Saturday, October 17, when UE will host the eighth-annual University of Evansville Cross Country Invitational at the UE Cross Country Course, located at 20404 Barton Road in Evansville.  The women’s 5-K?race will kick off the meet at 11:00 a.m. central time, with the men’s 8-K race set to follow.