Herrera, Nichols Earn CU Athlete of the Week, Presented By Arrow

BOULDER -- On Friday, the men's and women's cross country teams swept the Pac-12 Championships in Salt Lake City, Utah. Led by seniors Abby Nichols and Eduardo Herrera, the duo earned this week's CU Athletes of the Week presented by Arrow. 

Nichols led Colorado to its fifth Pac-12 Championship since 2011, as the No. 4 Buffs came in ahead of second place and No. 8-ranked Utah, 24-52. Nichols finished first on the 6k course with a time of 20:25.4, ahead of teammate Emily Covert, who finished second with a time of 20:36.7. Nichols, Covert and Utah's Emily Venters were neck-and-neck. But in the final kilometer Nichols and Venters both made moves which paid off for Nichols, as she earned her second win of the season and her first conference title. She is just the second female Buff to win an individual Pac-12 cross country championship. 

Herrera led the No. 3 Buffs to their eighth Pac-12 Championship since 2011 as CU defeated second place and No. 4 Stanford, 39-52. Herrera finished in third place on the 8k course with a time of 23:45.7. This was the third time in as many races he has led the Buffs this season. He finished less than two second behind the runner-up of the race but his strong performance was enough to guide the Buffs to another team title. 

Both teams will head to the NCAA Mountain Region Championships on Nov. 12, in Provo, Utah.