BILLINGS, Mont. – MSU Billings track and field athlete Robert Peterson has been named Great Northwest Athletic Conference Co-Athlete of the Week in men's track for Jan. 12-18, as announced by the conference office Monday.
 
This is the third honor for Peterson this year, having been named GNAC Runner of the Week in cross country for the weeks of Sept. 1-7, and Sept. 22-28.

"Robert is running really well right now, although we hadn't planned on him hitting those marks in the mile and 3,000 this early in the season," MSUB head track and field coach Dave Coppock said. "He's been focusing on just keeping his mileage up until this point and not peaking too early, so I'm always a little worried when someone is hitting fast times so early in the season. Based on the training he's doing right now, I think he still has a lot of upside potential."
 
Peterson, a junior from Billings, Mont., grabbed the national lead in the mile at the Montana State University Open qualifying provisionally for the NCAA national meet with a time of 4:07.50 (converted from 4:16.80 for track size and altitude). His time ranks second in GNAC history.
 
He also currently ranks second in the NCAA rankings in the 3,000 meters with a time of 8:15.52 (converted from 8:28.68 for track size and altitude), which is a national prequalifying mark as well. Peterson is ranked second behind Alec Baldwin from Black Hills State, who just barely edged Peterson in the 3,000m race during the Myrle Hanson Open held at BHSU on Jan. 10.
 
Peterson is having an outstanding junior year for the Yellowjackets. During the cross country season, Peterson was the first cross country runner from MSU Billings to qualify for the NCAA Div. II national race. The Skyview High School graduate now holds the all-time MSUB records in the men's 10K, 31:29 (2014), and men's 8K, 24:53 (2013).

Peterson is the defending GNAC indoor champion in the men's mile and was the runner-up in the outdoor mile last year. 

Peterson shares the honor with Alex Donigian from Western Washington, who was also named Athlete of the Week in men's track and field for setting GNAC records in both the 60 meters and 200 meters at the University of Washington Indoor Preview, qualifying automatically for the NCAA Division II national meet in the latter event with a time of 6.72. That time ranks second nationally. In the 200 he ran a time of 21.67 erasing the longest-standing GNAC record of 21.77 by Mike Hinshaw of Western Oregon in 2002. Donigian's time ranks seventh In NCAA Division II.
 
The MSU Billings track and field teams have this week off from competition before heading to Idaho State University in Pocatello, Idaho, for the Mountain State Games on Jan. 30-31.
 
Note: Conference stats provided by GNAC head office.