Oct. 13, 2009

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - UAB senior Kristina Olsen earned her first career Conference USA Cross Country Athlete of the Week accolade after running to a second-place finish at last Saturday's Furman Invitational in Greenville, S.C.

"Kristina is doing a great job on every level," UAB head cross country coach Blake Boldon said. "Her senior leadership has been an essential ingredient to our team this year and she is very deserving of the recognition."

The Jackson, Mich. native finished second out of 122 runners with a time of 18:57.47 in the 5K race at the Furman University Golf Course. Olsen's performance led UAB to second place out of the 16-team field with 41 points.

"Kristina is a shining example of the student-athlete that our program aims to produce," Boldon said. "She has a bright future beyond graduation this spring."

The Furman Invitational marked UAB's fourth and final regular-season meet of the 2009 campaign. The Blazers kicked off the season with a third-place finish at the Belmont Opener (4K) in Nashville, Tenn. The Green and Gold then went on to take the title at the Earl Jacoby Memorial (5K) in Huntsville, Ala. and finish seventh at the Roy Griak Invitational in Minneapolis, Minn.

Olsen and the cross country team will be back in action in three weeks at the Conference USA Championship in Houston, Texas on Oct. 31.