Joplin, Mo. — Missouri Southern senior track and field athlete Jayce Thomas has been named the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association National Athlete of the Week, the organization announced today. 
Thomas was the MIAA high-point winner this past weekend at the 2016 MIAA Indoor Track and Field Championships. Thomas had the fourth-best heptathlon in the history of NCAA Division II this past weekend, winning the MIAA title in the event with 5615 points, becoming just the fourth man in DII history to break the 5600-point barrier and the first to do so before the NCAA Championships. Thomas also broke his own school record in the event.
He ran an 8.24 for runner-up honors in the open 60-meter hurdles, jumped 49-3 to finish fourth in the triple jump, and finished fifth both in the high jump and the pole vault.
All told, he scored 29.5 points for high-point honors in the meet as Missouri Southern finished runner-up in the team race.