EMAIL THIS PAGE

Akbar, O’Brien Claim Patriot League Track and Field Honors; Akbar Also Earns ECAC Award
Eagle duo sweeps awards after capturing events at Maryland Invitational

January 28, 2003

Samia Akbar earned Patriot League Runner of the Week honors after winning the 3000m.	Sean O'Brien was named Patriot League Runner of the Week for the third time this year.

WASHINGTON — American University seniors Samia Akbar (Herndon, Va./Oakton) and Sean O’Brien (Tewksbury, Mass./Winnisquam Regional) captured the Patriot League Track Athlete of the Week awards after each student-athlete won an event at the Maryland Invitational last weekend. Akbar was also honored by the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) as its Women's Track co-Athlete of the Week.

O’Brien earned Men’s Track Athlete of the Week honors for the third time this season. He captured the men’s mile at the Maryland Invitational, running 4-minutes, 12.23 seconds to win by .02 over Casey Batey, an unattached runner. O’Brien led three Eagles in the top-five in the race. His time was the fastest run by an AU runner this season and O’Brien’s third-fastest indoor mile all-time. O’Brien has three indoor school records at American in the 1000-meters, 1500m and the mile.

Akbar, the 2002 Patriot League Cross Country Runner of the Year, earns her first Women’s Track Athlete of the Week honors. She claimed the 3000m at the Maryland Invitational in 9:43.50 setting a new AU school record by 17 seconds and winning the race by 11 seconds. Akbar’s time is only eight seconds off the NCAA Provisional qualifying mark. Akbar earns ECAC honors for the second time in her career in indoor track. She now owns four AU individual school records, adding the 3000m to her marks in the 1500m, mile and 5000m.

American University, which fields a 19-sport NCAA Division I athletics program featuring 10 women’s sports and nine for men, is in its second year of membership in the Patriot League. Since joining the Patriot League, the University has captured league championships in men’s cross country, women’s cross country, men’s soccer, women’s soccer, men’s tennis, women’s tennis and women’s volleyball, and regular-season titles in men’s basketball and women’s lacrosse.

American became a full member of the Patriot League on July 1, 2001. Chartered by an Act of Congress in 1893, the University features students from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and more than 160 nations worldwide.