Jackson Brainerd may have punched a ticket to the NCAA Division III championship meet with his performance at the University of Colorado Invitational last Saturday, and the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference definitely took notice.

Brainerd, who claimed league and regional titles in cross country last fall for the Division III Tigers, has been named the SCAC Men's Track Athlete of the Week.

The sophomore from Littleton, Colo., earned the honor by finishing seventh in the 1,500 meters at CU despite running against a field dominated by competitors from Division I and II schools.  

With an altitude conversion, Brainerd's personal-record and NCAA provisional qualifying time of 3:56.60 in the event equates to 3:50.97 – just .37 seconds shy of the automatic qualifying time of 3:50.60. That currently ranks first in the SCAC and second nationally in the Division III ranks.

As a freshman last spring, Brainerd was a member of CC's 4x800 relay team – with Colin Gazley, Andrew Wagner and Kaleb Fergin – that established a school record of 7:56.7 in the event.