East Central University Athletics

Bett and Regg-Wajid Earns GAC Runner of the Week honors

RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – For the second time in 2019, East Central University men’s and women’s cross country teams swept the Great American Conference Runner of the Week awards.  Freshman Emmanuel Bett earned his second GAC Men’s Cross Country Runner of the Week and redshirt junior Aaliyah Regg-Wajid also claimed her second GAC Women’s Cross Country Runner of the Week honors.

Bett finished third overall at the 31^st Annual Chile Pepper Festival College Race, finishing in a time of 25:39.0, against teams from NCAA Division I and Division II and Junior College teams.  He was the first runner to finish from the league, with a total of six teams participating.

The Eldoret, Kenya, native also helped the team to finish fifth of 39 teams.  The Tigers led the league as well, with the next best finish being Oklahoma Baptist in seventh.  The fifth-place finish is the best from the previous 10 years that ECU has run in the race.

Regg-Wajid finished third overall at the race, finishing with a time of 17:56.1, running against teams from NCAA Division I and Division II and Junior Colleges.  She was the first GAC runner to cross the line out of the seven teams at the meet.

The Bronx, N.Y., native helped the Tigers to a second-place finish out of the 41 teams in the heat.  The Tigers also were the first of the seven league teams, with the next best finish coming from Harding in sixth.  The second-place finish is the best out of the previous 10 years that ECU has competed in the event.