SAN BRUNO, Calif. –– USF freshman Weronika Pyzik was named West Coast Conference Freshman of the Year, announced by the league office following Saturday's WCC Championships in Spokane, Wash.

A Bilgoraj, Poland native, Pyzik competed in five meets this season, placing in the top-10 three times, including a fifth-place finish at Saturday's WCC Championships, the best finish she has had this year for the Dons. The freshman ran with the best of them, completing the 6K course in 21:17.8, just one second behind fellow Don, Elena Burkard.

Pyzik burst onto the scene this fall, taking sixth-place at the USF Invitational to open the season. Following that meet, she also placed sixth at the Boise State Dual Meet, 145th at the Roy Griak Invitational and 127th at Pre-Nationals. Pyzik's performance on Saturday also guaranteed her spot on the WCC All-Conference First Team, along with her teammates, Burkard and Charlotte Taylor. Although the Dons were unable to capture its sixth WCC title in program history, Pyzik helped lead the Dons to third-place overall. USF finished just five points behind BYU and Gonzaga in the overall team points, as Gonzaga won the conference meet in a tiebreaker. 

Pyzik and the Dons will return to action on Nov. 13, where they compete at the NCAA West Regionals in Seattle, Wash.