UC Irvine's Ricky Barnes and Laura Olvera were named Big West Men's and Women's Athlete of the Week, respectively, after both took home the individual title at the UCI Invitational.
Barnes, a senior from Bakersfield, CA, covered the five-mile men's course in 24:49.3 to best the field of 180 runners for the men's individual crown. It was his first race since the 2004 season, when he was named an All Big West performer after the conference championship meet.
Olvera, a sophomore from Whittier, CA and the 2005 Big West Freshman of the Year, had a strong start to her 2006 season after blazing through the 5K course in 17:07.7, nearly 24 seconds better than the second place finisher. Her time helped the Anteaters claim the team title.