WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. - Two veteran harriers on the Monmouth University men's and women's cross country teams earned honors this week, as senior Peter Forgach (Long Branch, N.J./Red Bank Catholic) and junior Christine Altland (Hazlet, N.J./Raritan) have been named the Road Runner Sports NEC Men's and Women's Athlete of the Week, the league announced on Tuesday.

Running in a field of 179 at the Princeton Invitational this past weekend, Forgach paced the Hawks for the fourth time in five meets this fall. The senior clocked in at 25:58 on the 8K course, earning a top-45 standing among competitors from USTFCCCA regionally and nationally-ranked institutions, including Texas, Columbia, Penn and Pittsburgh. Forgach was the top NEC harrier to cross the line in MU's final tune-up before the league championship on Oct. 31.

Adding to his laundry list of accomplishments this season, Forgach has also individually won two tournaments this season, the Quinnipiac Invitational and the 15th Annual MU Cross Country Invitational.

Altland, named NEC Co-Athlete of the Week alongside Sacred Hearts' Kimberly DeLoreto, put forth a 15th-place performance at the Princeton Invitational this past weekend, running the 6K course in a time of 24:00.2. Altland's efforts resulted in the best race of her junior campaign as she was the top NEC performer in a field of 112 harriers from nine schools, including USTFCCCA regionally ranked Columbia and UMBC, as well as nationally-ranked Princeton.

After finishing first and second at their Monmouth Invitational last weekend, most of the men's and women's squads have a weekend off next week prior to the NCAA Division I NEC Championships in Hamden, Conn. on October 31. Race times at NEC's are 11 a.m. for the men and noon for the women.