PORTLAND, Ore. – First official cross country race. First cross country win. First cross country award.
 
Libby Michael, a Seattle Pacific senior who won last Saturday's Puget Sound Invitational in what was her first official competition on the trails of autumn, has been named the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Female Athlete of the Week.

Michael, who hails from Nine Mile Falls in Eastern Washington, gradually pulled away during the final portion of the 5-kilometer race at Fort Steilacoom Park and crossed the finish line in 18 minutes, 57 seconds. She led a 1-2-3-4-5 SPU finish for a perfect score of 15 in the four-team meet.,
 
Between injuries and pandemic shutdowns, Michael had run just one cross country event in her first three years as a Falcon, that being the Central Washington Winter Invitational in February 2021, which was an unofficial gathering. Saturday was her first time of running in a meet that counted.
 
"To see her get a win was so great, because she has been through a lot," Seattle Pacific associate head coach / distance coach Chris Reed said. "We saw a lot of her talent and abilities last spring (in track), but cross country has always been that really elusive thing for her. I'm so happy for her – she deserves it, 100 percent. And I love the way she raced today."
 
The Falcons return to action on Saturday in Yakima at the Central Washington Invitational. The women's 4-kilometer race is at 11:00 a.m., followed by the men's 6K at 11:40 at Apple Ridge Run.