ATLANTA- Oglethorpe graduate student Ashton Deriso had a show stopping race this weekend that led the Stormy Petrels to a high finish and for his efforts has been named Southern Athletic Association athlete of the week.

Deriso finished with a season best 8k of 24:46 to place seventh out of a highly competitive and large field of 32 teams and 239 individuals at the South Region Showdown in Salem, Virginia. He pushed himself to the fastest time of the conference and regional universities in attendance, and his effort led the Petrels to eighth overall as a team.

These honors are not new for Deriso, as he has tallied his second weekly conference nod of the season and sixth of his career. After many school records broken, these honors are just another example of his talent and sheer athleticism.

The Stormy Petrels and Deriso travel to Georgetown, Texas, to compete in the Southern Athletic Association Championships on Saturday, Nov. 1.