Jake Ritter, a civil engineering major, was selected for the 2018 Big West Cross Country Athlete of the Year award after winning the conference title in Brea. He’s also one of several CENG student athletes to earn 2018 Big West All-Academic Team honors.
Claiming the 8-kilometer crown in 24 minutes, 27.5 seconds. Ritter led wire-to-wire to win by an 11.6-second gap, and in the process set the tone for a 37-point team win which saw the Mustangs lift the trophy.
Ritter, from Citrus Heights, Calif., advanced in the postseason to the NCAA Western Championships, coming in 52nd place against the Pac-12, Mountain West, WCC, WAC and Big Sky.
Chosen as Cal Poly’s Coca-Cola Student-Athlete of the Week on Oct. 29, Ritter helped lead the Mustangs to a final national ranking of No. 36, above the likes of No. 41 Princeton, No. 43 Georgia Tech and No. 48 Harvard.
Other CENG students presented with 2018 Big West All-Academic Team honors include:
- Jessica McRoskey, Women’s Volleyball, Materials Engineering
- Sophia Brown, Women’s Soccer, Aerospace Engineering
- Jacob Lindberg, Men’s Soccer, Mechanical Engineering
- Delaney Fitzsimmons, Women’s Cross Country, Mechanical Engineering
- Peter Cotsirilos, Men’s Cross Country, Mechanical Engineering
- David Chellsen, Football, Industrial Engineering
