After setting a school record and moving to the top of the conference performance list in the men’s 5000 meter run, Gus Arroyo (Portland, Ore.), a junior on the Seattle University track and field team, has been named the Western Athletic Conference Male Track Athlete of the Week, announced Tuesday morning by the league office.
Arroyo broke a three-year-old school record in the 5000 meter run with a time of 14:37.94, almost three full seconds quicker than the previous standard. His time is now atop the WAC performance list in the event by over five seconds.
“Gus has learned to deal well with the ups and downs life brings and, in doing so, has become an individual who is prepared to put his best foot forward no matter the circumstance. That played a big role in his success at the San Francisco State Distance Carnival and setting a new school record in the men’s 5000 meter run. This was only his second ever 5000 meter run as well as the first at sea level, so he’s definitely got more in the tank going forward,” Seattle U head track and field coach Trisha Steidl said.
This is the third time Arroyo has received a weekly award from the conference this year, as he was a two-time WAC Cross Country Male Runner of the Week during the 2014 cross country season. He earned First Team All-WAC honors by finishing fifth at the WAC Cross Country Championships, and he contributed to Seattle U’s performance at the WAC Indoor Track and Field Championships by finishing seventh in the one mile run.
The Seattle University track and field team heads to Spokane, Wash., for the annual WAR meet Friday and Saturday, April 10-11, at Spokane Falls Community College.