CENTER VALLEY, Pa. - American University track & field senior Liam Purdy was selected for the team's first Patriot League weekly award of the season on Tuesday as he was voted male track athlete of the week after an impressive performance at the Raleigh Relays over the weekend.

The Garnerville, N.Y., native placed second in the 800-meter run on Saturday with a new personal record (PR), besting his previous top time from the same meet last year by 0.65-seconds with a 1:50.28 finish. This performance not only bumps Purdy up into the No. 2 spot in the program record books alongside Sean Duffy (2004) but also puts him atop the current Patriot League rankings in the event. Army West Point's Jackson Sullivan owns the next best time out of the league so far this season with a 1:51.63.

Purdy's performance also has postseason implications, as he now sits in 24th in the NCAA East Region.

Qualification for the NCAA Championships Preliminary Round is based off these rankings at the end of the season - the top 48 individuals in each event in the east and west regions automatically qualify for their respective regional championship meets where the top-12 out of each event advance to the NCAA Championship. The 2019 NCAA East Preliminary Round will be hosted by North Florida in Jacksonville, Fla., from May 23-25. The NCAA Championship meet will be held in Austin, Texas, from June 5-8.

The Eagles will be back in action this weekend as they travel to Williamsburg, Va., for the Colonial Relays (April 4-6).

For the latest on American University Track & Field, stay tuned to AUEagles.com and follow the team on Twitter @AU_TrackXC.