Boston, Mass. - UAlbany's Gered Burns has been named the America East Conference Male Track Athlete of the Week, as announced by the league office Tuesday, Feb. 7. Alyssa Lotmore received female track athlete of the week honors.

     Burns ran the fastest time in the 800m by a collegian this season as he won the event in 1:48.80 at the New Balance Collegiate Invitational last weekend. He broke his own school record for the second time this season, improving his best time by 44-hundredths of a second. The senior took first in this same event at the 2004 Collegiate Invitational and finished second last season.

     Burns' time is the fastest in the America East Conference by nearly five seconds, and he has provisionally qualified for March's NCAA Championship on two occasions. The two-time IC4A champion also helped the 4x400m relay team to an IC4A-qualifying time of 3:15.47 at the invitational.

     Lotmore shattered the UAlbany 5,000-meter record with a time of 16:57.62 at the New Balance Collegiate Invitational last weekend. She bested the previous standard of 17:34.61, set by Tonya Dodge in 1997, by more than 35 seconds. Lotmore also became the first woman in school history to break the 17-minute mark indoors.

     The junior finished 10th in the 5,000m, which featured some of the best collegiate distance runners in the nation. She also met the ECAC standard in the 5,000, the third individual event she has qualified for this season. Lotmore is in the top four in the America East in the mile, 3,000m and 5,000m.

     The UAlbany indoor track and field teams return to action this weekend when they face Binghamton in a dual meet on Saturday, Feb. 11. Burns will travel to Fayetteville, Ark. to compete at the Tyson Invitational.