Schmidt Earns Second Big West Athlete of the Week Honor

Schmidt Earns Second Big West Athlete of the Week Honor

October 14, 2025 | Women's Cross Country

IRVINE, Calif. – Junior Kaia Schmidt has been named the Big West Women's Cross Country Athlete of the Week the conference office announced Tuesday afternoon.

Schmidt posted a top-15 finish in a competitive Bill Dellinger Invitational field that featured seven regionally-ranked teams. For the second meet in a row, the West Linn, Oregon, native was the top Big West finisher, coming in 14th overall. She completed the 6K course at Pine Ridge Golf Club in 20:43.97, which was just five seconds shy of her PR that she ran in her season debut at UC Riverside (Sept. 27).

This is Schmidt's second award of the season as she was also recognized on Sept. 30.

Six Anteaters will be in action at UCR's Highlander Invitational on Saturday, Oct. 18. That is the team's final meet before the Big West Championships in Hawai'i on Oct. 31.