WASHINGTON – Georgetown University Track & Field sophomore Ruach Padhal (London, Ontario / John Paul II Catholic) was named the BIG EAST Conference Men's Track Athlete of the Week on Wednesday, as announced by the league. The honor comes after Padhal ran an impressive split time on the 800-meter leg in the men's distance medley relay (DMR) at the JDL Fast Track Invitational in Winston-Salem, North Carolina this past weekend.
 
Padhal's 800-meter split of 1:49.39 was the fastest time in the field during that leg, .20 seconds faster than his individual 800-meter time, which ranks second on the BIG EAST leaderboard. The men's DMR time of 9:36.94 leads the BIG EAST and the relay squad's time ranks 10th on the national list so far this season. 
 
This is the first overall BIG EAST weekly honor of Padhal's collegiate career and the fourth weekly award for the Blue & Gray so far this season.
 
The Hoyas will return to the track this weekend, as they travel to Geneva, Ohio for the BIG EAST Indoor Track & Field Championships, held at the SPIRE Institute. The action is set to begin on Friday, Feb. 22.