EDISON, New Jersey - Marist women's cross country junior Gianna Tedeschi was selected as MAAC Runner of the Week for the week of September 25, it was announced Wednesday afternoon.

This is Tedeschi's first Runner of the Week accolade, and she is the first cross country athlete to receive the honor since Mara Schiffhauer in 2015.

At the Henry Mercer Invitational, Tedeschi placed third overall out of 146 competitors in the 5k. She ran a personal best of 18:17.34 to lead the Red Foxes to a runner-up finish. Marist beat out seven other MAAC programs and came second only to national #22 Princeton.

The Red Foxes have won two of three races in 2019, and Tedeschi has placed top three at every meet. She won the Marist Season Opener on August 31, took third at the Siena Invitational on September 7 and placed third at Monmouth with her personal-record race. The Red Fox women are currently ranked 10th in the northeast for their consistent success.

Marist cross country returns to action at the Paul Short Run on October 5, hosted by Lehigh University. The competition is the largest in the country, with over 40 programs from across the nation taking part annually.