PORTLAND, Ore. – Central Washington University freshman cross country runner Maddy Harrison was recognized by the Great Northwest Athletic Conference for her outstanding run at the CWU XC Opener this past weekend where she earned a first-place finish to pace the 'Cats to the teams first place finish.
 
Harrison opened her collegiate career in a big way, taking the gold in the CWU XC Opener last Saturday on the campus of CWU. Harrison finished with a time of 18:54.9 beating out Kekaihulai Halpern of St. Martin's who finished in second by over 10 seconds. Harrison also helped guide the 'Cats to a first-place team finish to open the season.
 
Harrison joins sophomore runner Payton Conover as 'Cats to earn this award since Head Coach Jonathan Hill took over the program.
 
QUOTING CWU XC HEAD COACH JONATHAN HILL:
 
"Maddy had a terrific debut for us! It was awesome to see her control the race in a totally new environment. She and Coach Layten have a solid plan and her talent, execution, and confidence were on display. We're just getting started and that was a top three lifetime 5k for her. I'm excited to see her in bigger and bigger races coming up!"
 
QUOTING CWU XC ASSISTANT COACH MATT LAYTEN:
 
"I'm so excited for this honor for Maddy! Her drive to be great at this sport is contagious and she hasn't wasted any time bringing her competitive spirit to our program! Winning your first collegiate race is a huge thing and she got to experience that this weekend! I'm excited to see the momentum she builds as we continue through the rest of the cross country season and later into track!"
 
UP NEXT:
 
Harrison and the rest of the 'Cats will now focus on a trip to the east side as they participate in the WSU Cougar Classic, hosted by Washington State University. The Cougar Classic will be held this Friday, September 12 at 5:00 p.m. from the Colfax Golf Club in Colfax, Washington.