THROGGS NECK, NY – After winning the Skyline Conference title on Sunday, Chase Miller (West Islip, NY) of the Maritime College men's cross country team has been selected as the National Athlete of the Week by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).  He becomes the first Privateer ever to receive this honor.

Miller ran a time of 25:42.5 over 8000 meters at the Stony Brook University Cross Country Course.  He shaved nearly 30 seconds off his own school record and finished nearly two minutes ahead of the second-place runner, Merchant Marine's Caden Davis.  Miller joined Cameron Coneys (2012) and Nicholas Sherman (2014) as individual Skyline cross country champions from Maritime.  In addition, the winning effort earned him both Skyline Runner and Rookie of the Year honors, as well as a place on the All-Skyline First Team.

The Privateers have competed in five races this year, and Miller has placed first overall in each of the last four.  The only time he didn't cross the line first was in the season-opening Adelphi Invitational on Sept. 4, when he was 23^rd and the top Division III finisher (20 of the 22 runners ahead of him were from either Iona or Cornell, two top Division I programs).  Miller has also broken the school record twice, including at the Skyline Championships.

Maritime will be in action again on Friday for a dual meet at Old Westbury.  The women's race begins at 11 a.m., with the men to follow at 11:45 a.m.