ROCK HILL, S.C. – Following his first indoor track & field meet of the season, Carson-Newman's Luke Greer has been named Track Athlete of the Week by the South Atlantic Conference after Tuesday morning's announcement.
Just a week removed from an All-America run in the NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships, the Northhampton, England native posted a new school record in the 5000-meter run with a time of 14:23.60 on Dec. 7 in the Grand Valley State University Holiday Open at the Kelly Family Sports Center.
"The body is tired," Greer said. "It's well-deserved rest now for me. It's been a long season with cross country and it was tough. Sneaking this meet in was a good idea to try to get into nationals and you just have to stay focused in those races but I'm ready for some rest now."
Greer checked in with a ninth-place finish in the 14:23.60 timed run which sits below the automatic qualifying mark needed for NCAA's. The time, however, does sit over 17 seconds better than the 14:41.13 D2P Division II Provisional mark.
The distance runner will lie low until the end of January when the indoor track & field season is in full swing. Greer currently holds four indoor program records as an Eagle.
"It was a great experience to be with the top guys from that meet," Greer said. "I can see where I lacked and what I need to work on. It was a good base and then you hope you can improve on that time. Coach Eric Philips puts a lot of emphasis on the mental side and I think that's key. It's helping me to get through those races and pick up where I'm lacking."
C-N isn't scheduled to compete again until Jan. 11-12 when they travel to Johnson City, Tenn. for the ETSU Invitational.
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