Sept. 6, 2006

Former Florida Atlantic University cross country runner Manny Huerta finished sixth out of 59 competitors in the Under-23 division of the 2006 International Triathlon Union World Championships held in Switzerland on Sunday.

Huerta struggled in the swim portion of the race, finishing in 44th place in a time of 19:33. Huerta made a strong push during the 40-kilometer (24.85 mile) bike, finishing that portion of the race in 13th place overall, with a total time of 1:25.39. He was able to gain even more ground during the 10-kilometer (6.21 mile) run ultimately finishing the race in 1:59.19, 1:48 behind winner William Clarke of Great Britain.

"I was watching the results on the internet, and I was really excited for Manny. He was here (at FAU) for two years and I'm so happy that he was able to move on and compete at such a high level in the triathlon," said head cross country coach Alex Smolka.

Huerta was a member of the FAU cross country team from 2002-2004.