LA JOLLA, Calif. – On the final week of competition for the UC San Diego cross country teams, Zeno Castiglioni and Isabelle Shepherd swept the Big West Athletes of the Week honors for their outstanding performances at the John Elders Invitational.  
 
UC San Diego cross country squads wrapped their 2023 season at the John Elders Invitational with a sweep, winning both the men's 8K and the women's 6K on Oct. 20. The men's side finished with 38 points while the women finished with 52 points.
 
Saving his best race for last, Zeno Castiglioni led the Tritons on both sides with the top finish of the afternoon. The senior posted a time of 24:08.2, finishing in fourth place to help the Triton men to a first-place finish.
 
Isabelle Shepherd has led the Triton women for every 2023 meet except one. She was back at the front of the pack on Friday to lead the way for the Triton women with an eighth-place finish and time of 17:45.3.
 
This is the second time Shepherd has been recognized by the Big West and the first for Castiglioni. This is the fourth time the Tritons have been recognized since transitioning to NCAA Division I with each time happening in the 2023 season. Jordan Haney was recognized twice earlier this season.
 
UP NEXT
The Tritons will return to competition with the track and field team in the spring.
 
About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program began a new era in 2020 as a member of the Big West Conference in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have earned prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent, one of the highest rates among institutions at all divisions.