Oct. 21, 2008

WACO, Texas - Junior cross country runner Erin Bedell was named to the Big 12/Chik-Fil-A Fall Community of Champions list, the conference office announced on Tuesday afternoon.

Bedell, who was named the Big 12 Runner of the Week on Sept. 23, has been Baylor's top finisher in three of four meets this season. She earned a pair of runner-up finishes in the Baylor Twilight and the Texas A&M Invitational to start the season, helping Baylor to two team titles.

At the Paul Short Invitational, Bedell took fourth place overall as Baylor placed third in the team competition. At the event, Bedell set a new Baylor record of 20:07 over a 6,000 meter course. Last weekend, she took seventh at the Pre-National meet as the No. 17 Lady Bears finished seventh overall.

During the fall, winter and spring terms, one student-athlete from each institution will be honored based on the following criteria: An academic standard of a 3.00 grade point average or higher must be maintained. The designated student-athlete should be involved with at least one community service program. The program(s) could be a student organization on campus or within the athletics department. The student-athlete should demonstrate leadership and sportsmanship on and off the field. The institution of the student-athletes' on this list will be awarded $3,000 each year from Chick-Fil-A for their efforts.