For the second week in a row, sophomore Cassie Hunt was named Big Ten Runner of the Week.

Hunt nabbed the honor last week after winning the Pre-Regional meet on Oct. 1 with a time of 21:01. Not only was that time a personal best, but it also broke the school 6K record.

Last weekend at the Saluki Invite in Carbondale, Ill., Hunt finished first in 17:05, earning another personal best along with a place in the record books, beating the previous course record by 57 seconds.

Head coach Karen Harvey is not surprised by her star runner’s success, but knows Hunt will show her best this weekend and in the future.

“We haven’t seen the best of Cassie yet,” Harvey said. “Any time you’re Big Ten Runner of the Week, it just let’s you know how special you are. I’m really happy for Cassie.”

Hunt shares Harvey’s excitement and feels honored to be chosen among the best.

“It’s great to be chosen,” she said. “They look at a lot of good runners and they chose me. It’s pretty exciting.”

Hunt said while she appreciated the personal honor, its reflection on the team as a whole is more important.

“It’s really great exposure for us,” she said.

Harvey agreed.

“Any time Illinois can get notoriety like that, it’s great,” she said.