ATHLETE OF THE WEEK hannah eckstein

oss country team with four freshmen among the top seven runners, first year runner Hannah Eckstein has stood out this season for her tremendous work on the course. With a sixth place finish at the NCAA Mid East Regional championships, Eckstein was voted as the JHU News-Letter's Athlete of the Week.

Along with her sixth place finish, sophomore Holly Clarke took eighth place, freshman Ashley Murphy took 10th place, and junior Liz Provost, sophomore Lara Shegoski, freshman Lindsey Sanborn and freshman Frances Loeb got top 50 finishes.

They helped the Blue Jays grab 78 points at the meet which was good for an overall first place finish. The win also gave nationally ranked #10 Hopkins a berth in the NCAA National Championships.

For Eckstein, the race began like many others as she quickly took her place amongst the top ten runners within the first mile, alongside fellow Blue Jay Holly Clarke. Both Hopkins runners continued their strong performances throughout the race to earn their respective sixth and eighth place finishes.

Eckstein's top ten placing was her fourth of the year and the sixth time she has been the top finisher for Hopkins.

From the time the Middletown, NJ native stepped on the Homewood campus, she has made a nearly seamless transition to the college game.

In just her first start of the season at the Baltimore Metro Invitational, Eckstein finished third to open up her college running career. Following that meet, the freshman went on to finish seventh at the Dickinson Invitational, eighth in the Centennial Conference Championships and finally her most recent finish last weekend gave Eckstein her fourth top ten finish of the season.

While Eckstein has had a great first year, she knows her fall season is still not done. This weekend she will join her fellow Hopkins runners at the National Championships in Oshkosh, WI.

Hopkins has finished in seventh place the past two seasons, however, this year the team hopes their new additions will push them over the edge.

While it will be difficult for Blue Jay fans to make it out to the Midwest to catch the cross country team in action, you should be sure to catch up with the results here at The News-Letter, where you can find a recap of the event after Thanksgiving break!