Two IU runners named Big Ten runners of the week

Senior cross country runner Samantha Ginther and junior cross country runner JR Ricker were both named Big Ten Cross Country Athletes of the Week by the Big Ten Conference Tuesday afternoon.

Junior Kelsey Duerksen won the award earlier in the year, bringing the IU cross country team’s total to three.

Both Ginther and Ricker competed in the Lehigh Paul Short Run last weekend. Ricker helped the men’s team walk away with a first place team finish by running the eight-kilometer race in 24 minutes and 12 seconds for a 10th place individual finish.

Ginther helped the women’s team place sixth overall by being the first Hoosier to finish the six-kilometer race.

She finished in 20 minutes and 10 seconds, bringing home a second overall finish individually.

The awards were individual accomplishments by Ginther and Ricker, but their performances at Lehigh University helped create another team accomplishment as well.

The IU men’s team is now ranked No. 12 in the nation.

The women’s team is now also knocking on the door of breaching the national rankings. IU is receiving votes in the coaches poll, tallying the second most votes of schools that are not currently ranked in the top 30.

The Hoosiers will race again Oct. 19.

— Frank Bonner