BENNINGTON, Vt. — Senior captain Cameron Michael Curtiss (Milton, Vt.) has been selected by the Southern Vermont College outdoor track & field coaches as the program's first-ever Athlete of the Week as announced by second-year head coach Kathleen Newton on Monday.

Newton and the Mountaineer coaching staff created the weekly accolade in lieu of the team not being conference-sponsored and have a chance to receive league honors.

Curtiss set a pair of personal records on Saturday at Fitchburg State University's Jim Sheehan Memorial, one being in the men's 800 meter run as he finished at 14th overall with a time of 2:12.69-- .41 seconds faster than his previous best. He also completed the men's 1500 meter run at 4:30.79, coming in 3.37 seconds faster than he ever had before in the event to register the 10th-fastest time in the Memorial. 

"Cameron has improved tremendously just over the last two seasons," Newton commented. "His hard work ethic, dedication, and ability to push himself during workouts and competition has paid off. Cameron does this all while being a supportive teammate and a great leader."

The senior's time in the 800 was good enough to rank fourth on SVC's all-time record list while his 1500 meter time put him up to third on the program's record chart.

Since the Mountaineer squad became NCAA accredited for the 2015 season, Curtiss has shaved off over 13 seconds from his time in the 800 meter run that he posted in the team's first meet last season. His time from this past Saturday in the event topped the mark of 2:13.1 that he set in the team's final non-traditional appearance back in May of 2014. In the 1500 meter trek, Curtiss came through the finish line on Saturday nearly 25 seconds faster than he did in SVC's first meet of the 2015 campaign.

Curtiss and the Mountaineers look to carry their recent success into this weekend's competition as they head to the Smith College Invitational in Northampton, Mass. on Saturday.