WICHITA—Wichita State women's cross country runner Winny Koskei was named American Athletic Conference Cross Country Athlete of the Week for the second time this season on Tuesday.
 
Koskei was one of the nation's best runners, finishing seventh overall in a loaded field at Pre-Nationals with a time of 20:23.8.
 
The All-American stuck with the leaders through 5K, and when they separated from the field, Koskei took over the lead of the chase pack. She led that group all the way to the finish, ending up with a seventh-place finish.
 
Coach Kirk Hunter said the Pre-Nationals performance "was probably the best race of her career here." Her career is filled with conference titles and an All-American finish at the 2018 NCAA Cross Country Championships.
 
Koskei also won the award on Sept. 10 for her victory at the JK Gold Classic.
 
Koskei finished the race as the best runner from the Midwest Region and American Athletic Conference. 
 
Koskei's season is shaping up to be a great one. Besides her Pre-National performance and JK Gold win, she finished 13th among a field of All-Americans at the Bill Dellinger Invitational in Oregon.
 
Next up is the American Athletic Conference Cross Country Championships on Nov. 1 in Memphis where Koskei and the Shocker women come in as the defending women's individual and team champions.