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Akbar Tabbed As ECAC Performer of the Week
AU senior adds to awards earned this season

October 2, 2002

WASHINGTON — American University senior Samia Akbar (Herndon, Va./Oakton) was named the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Women’s Cross Country Performer of the Week after her performance at the Paul Short Invitational last weekend.

Akbar earned the honor after placing third at the Paul Short Invitational. She ran 21:04.91 for the 6000-meter course, which was over 20 seconds faster than she ran on the same course as last year’s NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional. Akbar was also named the Patriot League’s Women’s Runner of the Week for the second time this season. She previously earned the honor on Sept. 15 after she won the Navy Invitational.

Akbar is one of the most decorated female runners in AU history. She holds three indoor track school records and four outdoor records. Akbar also has run on four school record-holding relay squads. The defending Patriot League champion in the indoor and outdoor 5000-meters, Akbar was an All-League honoree in cross country, indoor track and field and outdoor track and field. A NCAA provisional qualifier in the 5000-meters, Akbar earned All-Region honors at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional last year and was All-East at the outdoor ECAC Championships.

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