COLLEGE PARK, MD - Coming off of a record breaking performance a the Paul Short Invitational hosted by Lehigh, Maryland's Rose Coats has been named the Big Ten Women's Cross Country Athlete of the Week as announced by the league office today. 

Coats had the fastest 6K time of any Big Ten runner over the weekend as she took fourth overall (among 335 runners) in 19:45.4 at the Paul Short Invitational on Friday. Coats now holds the second fastest time in the Big Ten for a 6K course after she broke the Maryland program record for the third time in her career.

It also marked the third time the junior has run a sub-20 6K race and she cut 30 seconds off last years' time where she placed 12th at the meet. Her time on Friday lowered her personal-best mark by nearly eight seconds as well. Coats has led the Terrapins in all three races this year with overall top five finishes in each.

The Terps will return to action on Friday, October 17 at the Princeton Fall Classic hosted by Princeton University.