Jaclyn Newel, Trinity University, Women's Cross Country

JACLYN NEWELL OF TRINITY UNIVERSITY, a senior from Frankfort, Ill., has been selected the SCAC Character & Community Female Student-Athlete-of-the-Week for the week ending October 20, 2013.

Newell is a two-time team captain with Trinity’s cross country team, leading the Tigers to their first-ever conference championship last season.  She earned All-SCAC and All-Region honors in 2012, and was a key part of the Trinity team that earned an invitation to the NCAA Championships. Newell was also named to the All-Sportsmanship Team last season, and is a three-time All-SCAC performer in track & field as well. Last season, she was the SCAC Champion in the Steeplechase.

Off the course, Newell is the President of Trinity’s SAAC, and was selected to attend the NCAA Student Athlete Leadership Conference in 2012. She initiated the first annual SAAC banquet to promote school spirit and unity among the Tiger sports teams in 2013, and she also organized this fall’s October Breast Cancer Awareness fundraiser. Newell is also the student representative on Trinity’s Intercollegiate Athletics Committee.

A Chemistry major, Newell has been working on research on Supported Gold Catalysts since this summer, a project that “will ultimately supplement other research efforts to characterize the unique properties of supported gold catalysts.”

Newell has also served as a Senator on Trinity’s Association of Student Representatives, and is also active as a Mentor in the Athlete Academic Success Program – a new program at Trinity that assists athletes in adjusting to college life, balancing their academics and athletics schedules.

This season, Newell has led Trinity to wins at the Alamo City Openers, the UTSA/Ricardo Romo Classic, and the Hanover Pre-Nationals Meet. The 13th-ranked Tigers are looking to repeat as SCAC and NCAA South/Southeast Regional Champions, as well as improve on last year’s 12th-place finish at the NCAA Championships.