Natalie Bitetti Takes Her Second SCIAC Athlete of the Week Honor of 2022 Season

CLAREMONT, Calif. - Natalie Bitetti captured the SCIAC Athlete of the Week honor for the second time in two races this season, it was announced today by the league office.

Bitetti came in 12th place out of 265 runners, many of whom were from Division I, to help the CMS women's cross country team finish 12th out of 31 teams at the UC Riverside Invitational on Saturday. Bitetti ran a 20:38.8, the fourth-fastest in CMS history for a 6K race, to place 12th in a crowded field, with all of the runners in front of her representing Division I schools. The second-highest non-Division I finisher was Hannah Fredericks of The Master's University in 20th.

Bitetti previously earned the honor after taking first place by almost a minute at the Redlands Invitational on Sept. 3. She led a 1-2-3-4-5 finish for the Athenas in that race, which resulted in CMS earning the lowest possible score of 15 points. 

CMS will be back in action on Saturday for the Cougar Challenge at CSU San Marcos, while Bitetti and the Athenas' top seven will travel next to the Paul Short Run in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania on Sept. 30.