Gunner Schlender (Brillion, Wis./) from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater men's cross country team was named National Athlete of the Week for Division III Men's Cross Country by the United States Track & Field/Cross Country Coaches Association

"Gunner Schlender (Brillion, Wis./) had a breakthrough performance this past weekend on one of the season's biggest stages. It's apropos that it happened under the brights lights of the NCAA DIII Twilight.

Competing at night, Schlender captured the individual title in the Men's 8k Championship on the same course that will host the upcoming NCAA DIII Cross Country Championships. Schlender covered the 8k tract in 24:08.97 – nearly seven seconds faster than teammate Christian Patzka (Black Earth, Wis./Wisconsin Heights), who is a five-time NCAA champion on the track and finished runner-up in cross country last year (Patzka is also a six-time M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week honoree).

This is the eighth time in program history that an athlete from UW-Whitewater has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the cross country season. Schlender joins Patzka and 2014 honoree Dawson Miller in that regard."