The Top Performers of the Week feature highlights the top athletes of each sport currently in play. Check back each week to see which athletes are standing out in Cougar sports.
Rachel Lange – Cross Country – Freshman – La Crescenta, Calif.
Led by freshman Rachel Lange, the BYU women’s cross country team had another first-place finish Saturday, beating out 34 teams.
Out of 400 runners, Lange placed third overall with a time of 17:08 and now leads the Mountain West Conference with the best time for the 5K.
The Cougars came in with a top score of 46 points, beating out second-place UC Riverside with 55 points and third place Cal State San Marcos with 131 points.
This was the first time BYU ran at the UC Riverside Invitational.
Stephan Shay – Cross Country – Senior – East Jordan, Mich.
Coming in first for the Cougars, and fourth overall, was senior Stephan Shay with a time of 24:13.
Rachel Dyer – Volleyball – Senior – Encinitas, Calif.
Senior middle blocker Rachel Dyer led the Cougars in three categories in BYU’s sweep of Air Force on Saturday in MWC action. Playing the first match in the Smith Fieldhouse in 28 days, Dyer posted a match-high nine kills while hitting .500, marking the fourth time this year she has hit .500 or above. The Cougar co-captain also tallied a match-high seven blocks, her second-highest total of the year, to help BYU record 10 team blocks in the contest. On the year, Dyer is fifth in the MWC in hitting percentage and eighth in blocks.
Katie Larkin – Soccer – Senior – Draper, Utah
Larkin scored her first goal since returning from a wrist injury. She was the only scorer for the Cougars against California. With the goal, she now leads the team with four. Larkin scored on a penalty kick, and is now 2-2 on the season.
McKinzie Olson – Soccer – Freshman – Cottonwood Heights, Utah
Olson started the game for the Cougars and did not allow a goal in the first half despite facing 15 shots. She made eight saves in the game, a career and season-high for her.
Esteban Calisto – Golf – Sophomore – Quito, Ecuador
Sophomore Esteban Calisto of Quito, Ecuador, performed well for the men's golf team as he scored a +3 75 in the first round of the William H. Tucker Intercollegiate followed by a -1 71 in the second round. His consistent level of golf throughout the tournament allowed the Cougars to finish sixth in a field of 15 teams at +24, improving last year's 13th place finish in the same tournament.