OGDEN, Utah – Atle Ruden from the University of Hartford men's golf team earned Big Sky Player of the Week honors on Wednesday following a solid performance at The Connecticut Cup earlier this week. It marks the first conference weekly award collected by a Hawk this season, and the first distinction of Ruden's two-year career at Hartford.

Ruden paved the way for the Hawks at The Connecticut Cup, firing a 3-over 219 at Ellington Ridge Country Club, a par-72 course, for his first collegiate top-five finish. The native of Oslo, Norway, tied for fourth place among the field of 87, muscling his way to the finish after carding a 1-under 71 in the tournament's final round on Tuesday. He opened the event with rounds of 75 and 73 on Monday.

Coupled with an 11th-place finish from rookie Ambrose Abbracciamento, Hartford finished fifth overall among the 15-team field, calculating two strokes less than St. John's at 34 over par.

Ruden, who transferred to Hartford from California University of Pennsylvania in 2015, has been impressive throughout the entire fall campaign. His scoring average this fall is nearly four strokes better than his mark from the 2015-16 season, as he currently leads the team with a 72.77 average.

In two of five events this fall, Ruden has been Hartford's top golfer. Earlier this season, he finished in the top-15 (t-12th) at the Hartford Hawks Invitational, posting a season-best single-round 70 to finish three strokes under par at the 36-hole event.

The Hawks have one more tournament on the docket for the 2016 fall season. The finale lands the squad in Powells Point, N.C., for the Old Dominion/Outer Banks Intercollegiate, an event that stretches over three days from Oct. 23-25.