PULLMAN, Wash. (November 18, 2022) – Washington State cross country runners Brian Barsaiya and Samantha Boyle have been named the Academic Services Student-Athletes of the Month for October 2022.

Barsaiya, a junior out of Eldoret, Kenya, transferred to WSU in the spring of 2020 and has been very impressive in the classroom while majoring in human development while minoring in biology. On campus and in the Pullman community, Barsaiya was part of the human development department tour and has also volunteered at the Senior Living and Regency in Pullman where he donated his time and money in order to become a certified volunteer. On the course, Barsaiya opened the season by winning the WSU Invite for the second straight season, later led the pack for nearly 20 minutes at the 2022 Bill Dellinger Invitational before taking third and wrapped up the regular season by taking 25th on the most challenging course at the Weis-Crockett Invitational.

Boyle, a senior from Snohomish, Wash., has produced a 3.77 GPA while majoring in biology and minoring in chemistry and health & society. Boyle is scheduled to graduate next semester and planning to attend medical school. For the past three years, Boyle has served as the team's representative on SAAC and worked as a PAC counselor the last two seasons. This past May, Boyle received a grant after presenting a research project at the Pac-12 Student-Athlete Health Conference in Las Vegas and has also worked as a certified nursing assistant at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. On the course, Boyle opened the season by finishing No. 11 in the WSU Invite, helping the Cougar women claim the team title.

Each month Washington State Academic Services honors a male and female student-athlete that demonstrates commitment to academics while participating in their sport.