NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana's Christopher August and Brianna Pace, both of whom recorded best times Saturday at the LSU Invitational cross country meet, were selected Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Runners of the Week for Sept. 14-20.
     August won the GCAC men's award for the fourth consecutive week, and Pace received the women's award for the third straight week.
     August, a junior from Spring, Texas, and a graduate of Klein Collins High School, ran 5,000 meters in a season-best 16 minutes, 57.9 seconds. He led the Gold Rush and placed 20th overall. August's time was his second-fastest at Xavier and No. 15 on the Gold Rush 5K performance list of the past 13 seasons.
     Pace, a freshman from Junction City, Kan., and a graduate of Junction City High School, ran the 5K in a career-best 21:02 and placed 28th. She led the Gold Nuggets to fourth place out of eight schools in team scoring, and Xavier finished ahead of three NCAA Division I teams for the first time since September 2012.
     Xavier will participate Oct. 10 in the 28th annual UNCF 5K Run/Walk for Education at 8:30 a.m. at the Audubon Park Riverview in New Orleans. The next competition will be the Red River Athletic Conference Championships Nov. 6 at San Antonio, Texas.