OXFORD, Ohio -- Fresh off of a top-10 showing at the Thundering Herd XC Invitational in a 56-runner field where senior Olivia Cisco was the fastest non-NCAA Division I runner in the field, the talented distance athlete from Waverly was named as the River States Conference's Runner of the Week, as announced by conference officials Monday afternoon.

Cisco, who held a top-12 position throughout much of the race, hit another gear down the final straight and with it, eked out a top-10 run by garnering a ninth-place finish, posting a personal best 5K run of 18:08.64 in the process. That time eclipsed her previous personal best by nearly 15 full seconds as a result.

Additionally, Cisco outran 13 NCAA Division I runners from both Ohio and Marshall en route to her team-leading run. Cisco was the fastest NAIA runner in the field, and faster than all but one runner from Marshall. The other seven runners who were faster than Cisco were from the Ohio Bobcats' women's cross country program, which is currently ranked sixth in the Great Lakes Region at the NCAA Division I level according to a preseason United States Track and Field Cross Country Coaches Association Poll.

"It's great to see Olivia be named athlete of the week, which is much deserved," Shawnee State Director of Cross Country and Track and Field Conner Flynn said. "She is firing on all cylinders to start this season, and really sets the tone for our women's team in many ways."

For more information on the Shawnee State women's cross country program, visit https://ssubears.com/sports/womens-cross-country or check out Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/shawnee_state_xctf.