Hardie Garners Big Ten Athlete of the Week Honor

Freshman Alea Hardie has been named the Big Ten Women's Cross Country Athlete of the Week, the conference office announced Wednesday afternoon.

Hardie is the first Husker women's runner to earn the weekly honor since Erika Freyhof on Sept. 11, 2019 and the first freshman to earn the Big Ten women's weekly honor since Minnesota's Libby Haibmaier on Oct. 30, 2019.

The Sioux Falls, S.D., native placed first at the Greeno/Dirksen Invite with a time of 16:57.9 to win her second consecutive meet to start her Husker career. Winning the 5K race by 11 seconds, the freshman became the first Nebraska women's runner to win the Greeno/Dirksen Invite since Anna Peer in 2014.

Nebraska is off this weekend and returns to action at the Joe Piane Invitational hosted by Notre Dame on Friday, Sept. 30 in South Bend, Ind.