NEW ORLEANS, La. (Blugolds.com) – UW-Eau Claire indoor track athlete Thurgood Dennis (Jr.-Allouez, Wis./Green Bay Notre Dame) has been named this week's men's indoor NCAA Division III Athlete of the Week, the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association announced today.

USTFCCCA National Athletes of the Week

At the WIAC Championship this weekend, Dennis posted two individual Division III-leading times at 60 meters and 200 meters en route to WIAC individual titles, and ran legs of the winning 4×200 and 4×400 relay teams to lead UW-Eau Claire to a runner-up finish in the team race, the best finish since 1993.

His victory over a pair of other top-six national sprinters at 60 meters came in 6.75, a conference and school record, which gave him the Division III lead and a share of the No. 4 all-time position on the Division III performers list with Dominique Kone of Colby in 2012. The last time a DIII man ran faster was 2003 when Chaz Clemons of Lincoln (Pa.) set the DIII record of 6.69.

Dennis won the 200 meter title in 21.77 (21.39 converted for track type) to tie him as atop the DIII qualifying list with Bruce Gray of Greenville, defeating two other top-six sprinters along the way.