Baylor’s Montoya Named Big 12 Runner of the Week

After racing to a fourth-place finish at the Notre Dame Invitational, Baylor women’s cross country senior Maggie Montoya was named the Big 12 Women’s Runner of the Week, the conference office announced Tuesday.

It is the second weekly league accolade of Montoya’s career, after she was also recognized on Oct. 21, 2015.

On Friday, Montoya turned in a fourth-place showing in Notre Dame, Ind., covering the 5,000-meter course in 16:28.4. The senior was BU’s top finisher at the event and helped the Lady Bears place fifth as a team. Through three races this fall, Montoya has been Baylor’s top finisher in all three.

With some of the top programs in the country at the meet, BU beat out three ranked teams including: Notre Dame (No. 16), Vanderbilt (No. 24) and Utah (No. 28).

In Montoya’s last time at the Notre Dame Invitational, she ran 17:50.9 in 2013, finishing 41st. Over the course of three years, the Rogers, Ark., native improved by over 80 seconds and 37 spots.

Montoya’s performance helped the Lady Bears jump from unranked to No. 21 in the country according to the USTFCCCA poll.

In the 20-year history of the Big 12, BU female runners have now been honored 23 times. Baylor's last conference weekly award winner was Montoya in 2015.

The Baylor women’s top runners will be back in action at Wisconsin Invitational on Oct. 14, in Madison, Wis. Meanwhile, a second group of other BU women’s runners will compete Friday at the Aggieland Open in College Station, Texas.