LOGAN, Utah – Utah State sophomore cross country runner Devin Pancake was named the America First Credit Union USU Student-Athlete of the Week for the period ending on Sunday, Oct. 27, it was announced Monday. The award is voted on by a state-wide media panel.

It is the first time this year and first time in his career that Pancake has been named USU's student-athlete of the week. With their sponsorship of the Student-Athlete of the Week, America First Credit Union donates funds directly to support student-athlete scholarships.

The native of Springville, Utah, helped Utah State earn its fourth team title of the season this past weekend at the Utah Open. Pancake finished first overall in the men's 6-kilometer run with a time of 19:24.1, which was his first-ever individual title. As a team, USU placed the top four runners and scored a total of 18 points to finish ahead of Utah Valley (37 points).

Utah State's men's and women's cross country teams continue their 2019 seasons this weekend as they host the Mountain West Championships on Friday, Nov. 1. The men's 7-kilometer race will begin at 10 a.m., followed by the women's 5-kilometer race at 10:45 a.m., at the Steve and Dona Reeder Cross Country Course located at 1165 East 1400 North.

Fans can follow the Utah State track & field and cross country programs at twitter.com/USUTF_XC, on Facebook at USUTrack and on Instagram at instagram.com/USUTF_XC. Aggies fans can also follow the Utah State athletic program at twitter.com/USUAthletics or on Facebook at Utah State University Athletics.
 
Nominees from other sports for USU Student-Athlete of the Week included:
 
WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY – Sophomore LeAnn Larkin (Shelly, Idaho) was the top Aggie finisher at the Utah Invite this past weekend, leading Utah State to its fourth team title of the season. Larkin finished second overall in the women's 5-kilometer run with a time of 19:00.7. As a team, USU scored 26 points to finish ahead of Utah Valley (48 points) and Utah (57 points).
 
FOOTBALL – Senior cornerback DJ Williams (Smyrna, Tenn.) had a career-high 14 tackles for his second-ever double-digit tackle outing in Utah State's 31-7 Mountain West road loss at Air Force. Williams also recovered his first-career fumble in the game.
 
WOMEN'S TENNIS – Freshman Renata Lombera (Mexico City, Mexico) posted a combined 5-2 record last weekend at the ITA Regionals held in Las Vegas, Nev. In singles, Lombera advanced to the Elite Eight with three-straight wins before losing to the top seed. In doubles play, Lombera and freshman teammate Carolina Millan posted a 2-1 record as they lost in the round of 16.
 
SOCCER – Freshman keeper Diera Walton (Draper, Utah) allowed just one goal in 180 minutes this past week as Utah State posted a 1-1-0 Mountain West home record with a 1-0 loss against Air Force and a 3-0 victory over Colorado College. Against the Falcons, Walton recorded three saves and faced 12 Air Force shots. Against the Tigers, Walton logged her fifth clean sheet of the season after tallying six saves on nine Colorado College shots.
 
VOLLEYBALL – Junior opposite side hitter Bailey Downing (Lucas, Texas) was the top performer for Utah State last week, as the Aggies dropped a pair of 3-0 matches at Fresno State and San Diego State. Against the Bulldogs, Downing led the Utah State attack, hitting .333 (6-2-12). She also added two digs and a team-high five blocks. Against the Aztecs, Downing hit .200 (6-2-20), adding one assist, one dig and four blocks.
 
2019-20 Utah State Athlete of the Week Winners
Sept. 2 – David Woodward, Football
Sept. 9 – Ashley Cardozo, Soccer
Sept. 16 – Lucy Octave, Women's Tennis
Sept. 23 – Shaq Bond, Football
Sept. 30 – David Woodward, Football
Oct. 6 – Luke Beattie, Cross Country
Oct. 13 – Colten Cordingley, Golf
Oct. 20 – Luke Beattie, Cross Country
Oct. 27 – Devin Pancake, Cross Country
 
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