Dec. 4, 2007

Irving, Texas (C-USA/SMU) - SMU freshman Silje Fjortoft has been named the Conference USA Cross Country Newcomer of the Year as voted upon by C-USA head coaches, the conference office announced Tuesday.

Fjortoft, a freshman, was named the NCAA South Central Region Athlete of the Year and C-USA Freshman of the Year after strong performances at Regionals and the C-USA Championships. She clocked a winning 6K time of 20:35 at Regionals, 11 seconds ahead of the field. The two-time C-USA Athlete of the Week selection took runner-up honors at the C-USA Championships with a 5K time of 17:46.0. Fjortoft capped off her rookie campaign with a 49th-place finish at the 2007 NCAA Championships. She was the third freshman to cross the finish line, clocking a time of 21:11.00 on the 6K course.

For the second consecutive season, SMU and C-USA has had a student-athlete win the NCAA South Central Regional title and earn Athlete of the Year honors from the region. In 2006, SMU's Rachael Forish was the champion, followed by Fjortoft in 2007. Forish, 2006 C-USA Female Athlete of the Year, went on to earn All-America honors at nationals.