After a solid performance at the Sundodger Invitational hosted by the University of Washington at Lincoln Park in West Seattle last Saturday, junior distance runner Peter VanNuland (Newcastle, Wash.) has been named the Featured Student-Athlete on GoSeattleU.com for the week of Sept. 17, 2012.

VanNuland was the top Redhawk finisher in the eight-kilometer men's open race Saturday morning, posting a time of 25:35, over a full minute faster than the time he finished with at last year's event. He crossed the finish line in 22^nd place overall in the race, helping the Redhawks finish in fourth place out of 22 teams.

Last year, VanNuland worked his way into the squad that went to the 2011 Great West Conference Championships, finishing 35^th in that race with a time of 27:18.89 over the eight-kilometer course in Grand Forks, N.D.

"Peter is having a great season," Seattle U head cross country and track and field coach Trisha Steidl said. "He is coming back strong from injury, and I believe he will continue to make significant progress."

In the classroom, VanNuland is a finance major within the Albers School of Business and Economics with a 3.546 grade point average. He earned Academic All-Great West honors in 2011 and was part of the men's cross country squad that earned an APR Public Recognition Award from the NCAA for the 2010-11 academic year.

VanNuland and the Seattle University cross country team will head to the Springfield Country Club in Springfield, Ore., for the Bill Dellinger Invitational, hosted by the University of Oregon Saturday, Sept. 29, starting at 10:30 a.m.