ROSEMONT, Ill. – Penn State harriers Colin Abert (Easton, Pa.) and Julia Paternain (Cambridge, England) were honored with Athlete of the Week honors from the Big Ten, as announced by the conference office on Wednesday, Sept. 12. This is the fifth career Big Ten weekly award for Abert and the first for Paternain. Both Nittany Lions captured victories at the 2018 Spiked Shoe Invitational last Friday, Sept. 7, at the Blue-White Golf Course.
Abert, a senior, has begun his final cross country season donning the Blue & White with a pair of victories. He opened up the 2018 season with a win at the Dolan Duals (17:41.2) and then followed that up with a first-place finish at the Spiked Shoe Invitational (25:24.2).
Wednesday's honor is the third plaudit for Abert in 2018 as he was tabbed the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Division I Men's Athlete of the Week earlier this week and the Big Ten Cross Country Men's Athlete of the Week last week.
With Abert's title last Friday, he is the first Nittany Lion to win the Spiked Shoe Invitational in back-to-back years on the men's side since Eric Carter won three straight titles from 1985-87.
Paternain, a freshman, has opened up her Nittany Lion career with back-to-back victories. In the season opener at the Dolan Duals, she finished first with a time of 13.54.5, and then last week at the Spiked Shoe she broke the tape in 20:49.5.