UBC track and field runner Maria Bernard was named the Association of Independent Institutions's Female Athlete of the Week for the week of March 24-30.
Bernard, a 5-foot-5 junior from Calgary, became the sixth-fastest Canadian women in the 3,000-meter steeplechase after posting a time of 10 minutes, 2.62 seconds at the UBC Open in Vancouver. Her time easily surpassed the NAIA "A" standard for the race and was also better than the NAIA championship meet record of 10:12.13. Her time also made her eligible to be selected to Team Canada for the North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletics Association (NACAC) Under-23 Athletics Championships this summer in Kamloops, B.C.
The Thunderbirds will host the UBC Invitational at the Rashpal Dhillon Track and Field Oval on Saturday, April 5.
