Kelowna's John Gay has been recognized for his performance at the UBC Open and Achilles Cup track and field competition over the weekend in Vancouver.

Gay, an OKM grad, was named the co-Male Athlete of the Week by the Association of Independent Institutions of the NAIA.

Gay's effort earned the second-year Thunderbird runner a spot at the NAIA Outdoor Track and Field Championships this spring.

He won the 3,000-meter steeplechase event at UBC with a time of 9:18.11. That is the second-best steeplechase time posted by an NAIA athlete so far this season.

He also placed sixth in the men91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ™s 1,500 metres, completing the race in 3:55.24. That earned him an NAIA 91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ˜B91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ™ standard.

As a rookie, Gay competed in the 3,000 steeplechase at the NAIA Outdoor Track and Field Championships last year in the spring of 2015.

The 2016 NAIA championships will held May 26 to 28 in Gulf Shores, Alabama.

Gay and the UBC track team competes in the NAIA (outdoor track), instead of the CIS, which is solely indoor competition.

The league to which UBC belongs is the A.I.I., which would be the equivalent of the Canada West in CIS or the Pac-12 in the NCAA.