Sept. 6, 2010

CHICAGO - UIC men's cross country runner Brian Denk has been named a Horizon League Cross Country Athlete of the Week for the period of Aug. 31-Sept. 6, the league office announced Monday.

Denk, a junior, placed first overall at the UIC Home Opener in a field of 48 runners. The Darien, ll. native's 4.1-mile time of 20:41.1 also helped the Flames place first overall out of five teams, including Horizon League rivals Green Bay and Milwaukee.

"He's worked extremely hard in the past year to get to where he's at," said UIC head coach Jim Knoedel. "He had a great race and its rewarding for him to see that work pay off. I think its just the beginning of a great year for him."

The award is Denk's first weekly honor from the Horizon League. With the victory, the junior becomes eligible for the Horizon League's People's Choica Award. To vote for Denk, please visit www.horizonleague.org, but hurry because voting ends on Tuesday afternoon. The poll is located on the left side of the page.

Butler University sophomore Kirsty Legg won the women's award for the week. UIC senior Rosemary Gillam was also up for the honor after placing fourth overall at the UIC Home Opener in a time of 11:53.5

Denk, Gillam and the rest of the Flames will be back in action on Friday, Sept. 17th when they travel south to Normal, Ill. for the Illinois Intercollegiates.