SCIAC Female Athlete of the Week: Annie Lydens, Pomona-Pitzer
Annie Lydens, Pomona-Pitzer
Cross Country
(Junior, - Tokyo, Japan)
Annie Lydens ’13 came in third place at the NCAA Division
III Cross Country National Championships in Winneconne, Wisconsin
to earn All-America honors. It was the highest-ever finish for a
Pomona-Pitzer Cross Country runner (men or women), surpassing the
fifth-place finish of Crosby Freeman at the men’s nationals
in 2004. Lydens ran a personal-best time of 21.02 to set a program
record in the 6K. Her time was 25 seconds faster than she ran at
the nationals last year when she came in ninth place, which was the
highest ever finish for a Pomona-Pitzer Women’s Cross Country
runner before she broke it this weekend. Lydens has now earned
three top-10 finishes in her three national competitions, including
a second-place finish at last year’s NCAA Division III
Outdoor Track and Field championships in the 5000 meters and a
third-place finish this weekend.