Elon University cross country runners junior Luis Vargas and senior Allyson Oram have been named Southern Conference runners of the week. The announcement came on Wednesday Oct. 9 from the league office in Spartanburg, S.C..
Both runners were awarded after their strong performances in the Greater Louisville Classic Saturday Oct. 5. Oram led the women’s side with a time of 17:51.7,7 which was good enough for a 24th place finish out of 288 competitors in the 5K event. Oram has given Elon their first women’s weekly honor since 2011 when Morgan Denecke captured the award.
The rest of the women’s team has also been turning heads. The Phoenix have been ranked No. 12 in the most recent U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Southeast Regional Rankings.
Vargas captured a top-10 finish coming in sixth with a finish of 24:38.44 in the 8K men’s race out of 269 competitors in the Louisville event. Vargas has been in good form since the start of the year, earning himself the Southern Conference men’s Runner of the Month award.
Vargas started off the season with first place finish in the Elon invitational on Sept. 14. Vargas came within three seconds of his own school record with his strong showing in the home event.
Vargas has failed to disappoint thus far in his junior year after a remarkable sophomore year where he became the first male runner to receive All-SoCon honors at Elon.
Both men’s and women’s teams will look to remain hot with a pair of meets during the weekend of Oct. 18-19. Select runners from both teams will return to Boone, N.C. in the Blue Ridge Open Friday Oct. 18 with another select group participating in the NCAA Pre-Nationals the following day in Terra Haute, Ind.