Fakler, Jackson collect their fifth GCAC awards of season

Kwame Jackson

Catherine Fakler

NEW ORLEANS -- Xavier University of Louisiana juniors Catherine Fakler and Kwame Jackson, the individual champions Saturday at the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Cross Country Champions, are the GCAC Runners of the Week for Oct. 21-27.

It's more of the same for both runners, who tied XU season records with their fifth GCAC weekly awards of 2013. Jackson has nine career GCAC awards, and Fakler has seven.

Fakler set a school record of 18 minutes, 8.32 seconds at 5,000 meters to win the women's GCAC title by more than 90 seconds. Jackson then won the men's race for the second time in three years. His 8K time was 27:15.84, and he won by nearly 20 seconds.

Xavier won both GCAC team championships for the eighth consecutive year.

Fakler is from Phoenix, Ariz., and a graduate of Xavier College Preparatory Roman Catholic High School. Jackson is from Kingwood, Texas, and a graduate of Kingwood Park High School.

Fakler matched the five GCAC awards of Zahri Jackson, Kwame's younger sister, from 2011. Kwame Jackson shares the XU men's record with Mark Dotson (2009) and Matt Pieri (2010).

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA