By Jennifer Hager 

Staff Writer 

Steven Ing’s first place finish at the conference championship tournament helped the Cougars secure their sixth consecutive Association of Independent Institutions (AII) title.

Not only is Ing a stellar athlete, but he has an interesting background.

Originally from Capetown, South Africa, Ing spent eight years in Hong Kong prior to attending Cal State San Marcos.  His father is the manager of the Asia/Pacific region of an American Software company and his mother is a part time Spanish translator for the court system.

“Being far away from family is hard, but I feel that I love California so much that it makes it a bit easier,” Ing said.

With his parents still in Hong Kong for work and his sister in London for school, the cross-country teams serve as his second family.

This sophomore standout was named AII Athlete of the week for the week of Oct. 21-27 for his first place finish at the Biola NAIA West Coast Jamboree.  Before seeing his picture on the school’s athletics website, Ing said he “did not know there was such a thing as athlete of the week.” He sure knows it exists now, because for the week of Nov. 3-10, he was awarded this honor again. This came as no surprise, as his AII final time of 24:53 was 16 seconds faster than the second place finisher. It also became his personal best.

Ing, who is a kinesiology major, knows his future consists of a career in the sports world whether it be a P.E. teacher, sports physical therapist or a running coach. He also plans to continue to grow in his relationship with God.

Ing is looking to continue his success at Nationals in Lewiston, Kansas on Nov. 23.