After crossing the finish line first among the Seattle U men’s cross country team at last Saturday’s Sundodger Invitational, sophomore Chay Weaver (Louisville, Colo.) has been named the Featured Student-Athlete of the Week on GoSeattleU.com.
Weaver finished 20th overall in the eight-kilometer invitational race with a time of 25:12.88, over 37 seconds quicker than his mark at the 2014 Sundodger Invitational. It is the first time in his collegiate career that he has been the team’s top finisher as he helped the Redhawks to a third place finish, ahead of Tulane and Portland State.
Over the past year, Weaver has shown steady improvement, first qualifying to participate in both the WAC Championships and the NCAA West Regional last cross country season. He also competed in the 2015 WAC Indoor Track and Field Championships, helping the distance medley relay team to a fifth-place finish as well as advancing to the finals in the one mile run.
“Chay ran a smart, tenacious race. He put himself in a strong position from the start and focused on working his way up throughout the race. One thing you can always count on from Chay is that he’s going to dig deep and be tough and gritty throughout. He didn’t disappoint at Sundodger and ended up finishing as our #1 because of it,” Seattle U head cross country coach Trisha Steidl said.
In the classroom, Weaver is a mechanical engineering major and currently carries a 3.705 grade point average. He was a three-time Academic All-WAC honoree last year, meeting both the participation and academic requirements to receive the award for cross country, indoor track and field, and outdoor track and field.
Weaver and the other top runners for Seattle University will next compete at the Washington Invitational, to be held at the Jefferson Park Golf Course, also home to this season’s NCAA West Regional event, Friday, Oct. 2. The women’s 6000-meter race is scheduled to start at 3:15 p.m., followed by the men’s 8000-meter event at 4 p.m.
The Seattle University athletics department names a Featured Student-Athlete each Tuesday based on performances both in the classroom and in competition.