Aikens Named SSAC Runner-of-the-Week

Sophomore, Brittany Aikens from Braselton, Ga., is the first Brenau Cross Country runner to garner recognition as theSouthern States Athletic Conference "Runner of the Week".

Aikens had a superb performance this past Saturday in the season opener at the Mercer Macon Run Fit Invitational. This competitive meet included many colleges from the Southeast such as: Savannah College of Art & Design- Savannah, Mercer University, University of West Georgia, North Georgia College, Georgia College and State, Columbus State University, Point University, University of SC- Beaufort, Savannah College of Art & Design- Atlanta and Young Harris College.

From the time the gun went off to the first mile split, Brittany positioned herself in the top ten. By the time she reached the two mile split, she was in the top five. The last mile included the best runners jockeying for position. Aikens held on to finish 6th out of 166 runners in the race. The 4th and 5th place runners were actually unattached to any team. Had race officials scored only the collegiate runners, Aikens would have finished behind two runners from Savannah College of Art & Design and a runner from Columbus State University. Brittany's sixth place finish helped the team finish in 9th place in a field of 21 teams. The Tigers also beat out North Georgia College/State University and Clark Atlanta University- a first for Brenau. The team's performance also put them ahead of SSAC rival Truett-McConnell College.

Brittany's time of 19:33 for this race proved to be only one second slower than her time at the SSAC Championships last November. At this point in the season, Aikens has already demonstrated that she is capable of setting new records and advancing to the NAIA National Championships for the second year in a row.