UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; October 10, 2006 ¨C Freshman cross country runner Bridget Franek (Hiram, Ohio) garnered Big Ten Runner of the Week accolades Tuesday after finishing first at the Penn State National Saturday morning. This is Franek¡¯s first career weekly honor from the Big Ten Conference.

Franek led the way for Penn State for the third time this season as she finished first in scoring and second overall with a personal best 6K time of 21:18. Her efforts, which marked the second victory of the season for the freshman, helped the Lion women capture a second place finish at the meet, the team¡¯s third second place finish of the season.

The Penn State women¡¯s cross country team finished second overall at the Penn State National Saturday morning with 64 points. Syracuse took first with 44 points and Guelph came in third with 76.

Next up for the Lion women is the NCAA Pre-National Invitational on Oct. 14 in Terre Haute, Ind., beginning at 11 a.m. All of the Big Ten women¡¯s cross country teams will compete at the Pre-Nationals.