LAS VEGAS – Hawaiʻi cross country runner Atarah Robinson has been named the Mountain West Freshman of the Week, the conference office announced Tuesday. Robinson secured the league's weekly honor after making a major splash in her collegiate debut, claiming a podium finish at the annual Big Wave Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 5, at the Kahuku Golf Course.
 
The Florida native took home third place in her first collegiate cross country meet, running a time of 18:54.40 on the hilly 5,000-meter course. Robinson was a part of the lead pack of Rainbow Wahine runners from start to finish, helping set the tempo for a Hawaiʻi squad that made history by sweeping the top six individual spots to capture their sixth consecutive Big Wave Invitational team title.
 
Robinson's debut made her one of three UH runners to finish with a sub-19 minute time on the challenging North Shore course. She crossed the line right behind sophomore teammate Mikaella Martin (18:34.30) and graduate transfer Emily Castles (18:46.50), forming a formidable leading trio. Behind their front-running dominance, the Rainbow Wahine posted a perfect team score of 15 to outdistance runner-up Hawaiʻi-Hilo.
 
The weekly award marks an strong start for Robinson, who arrived in Manoa as a highly-touted recruit after winning the Florida Class 4A state title in the mile during her senior high school season.
 
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