Harrogate, TN -- Lincoln Memorial University senior cross country and track and field athlete Luis Boerkey has been named the First Century Bank Scholar Athlete of the Week. Hailing from Wiesbaden, Germany, Boerkey has distinguished himself both in the classroom and in athletic competition. Pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, he boasts an impressive 3.709 GPA and has earned a spot on the dean's list at LMU for all six semesters. His academic excellence has been widely recognized, having been named to the Academic All-District team by College Sports Communicators, honored at LMU as an A.B.E. Scholar, and selected as part of the 2025 NCAA Division II All-Academic Teams by the Cross Country Coaches Association. Furthermore, he has received the D2 ADA Academic Achievement Award for two consecutive years, earned positions on the SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll for both the 2024-25 and 2025-26 academic years, recently joined Chi Alpha Sigma, and represented his teammates as a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. Beyond his standard coursework, Boerkey worked with Dr. Clayton in the field of differential equations and competed at the Tennessee Academy of Science in the Eastern Collegiate Division.
Boerkey's dedication to engineering extends far beyond his coursework, highlighted by his participation in the ASCS Engineering Competition last year and a full-time Mechanical Engineering internship at MAHLE in Morristown this past summer. He has also worked in the TAGGE Center, though he is currently taking a leave this semester to continue a part-time internship with MAHLE during the fall. Students can rest assured, however, that he will return to the TAGGE Center this spring for his final semester. Alongside his twin brother Joel, Boerkey has actively contributed to the community by mentoring future athletes while working with high school track and cross country meets.
On the course and track, Boerkey has put together an exceptional athletic career for Lincoln Memorial. During his freshman 2023 cross country season, he competed in five events and set a personal best in the 8k at the South Atlantic Cross Country Conference Championships with a time of 25:59.3 on October 21, 2023, alongside competing in the NCAA Division II Southeast Region Cross Country Championships 10k with a time of 33:40.3 on November 4, 2023. In the subsequent 2023-24 indoor and outdoor seasons, he secured a fourth-place finish at the SAC Indoor Championships while becoming the third fastest in program history, helped set a record in the Distance Medley Relay, and earned a runner-up finish at the Outdoor Championships by missing gold by less than one second.
His momentum continued into his sophomore 2024 cross country campaign, where he competed in five events, set a personal best in the 6k at the Railsplitter Open with a time of 20:37.7 to finish in fourth place on September 6, 2024, and ran the 10k at the NCAA Division II Southeast Region Cross Country Championships in 33:46.8 on November 9, 2024. As a junior in 2025, Boerkey competed in five events, taking 10th in the season-opening Fleet Feet Invitational with a 27:44.0 in the 8k on September 6, 2025, recording a personal record in the 7k at the Bulldog Stampede at 22:55.5 on September 20, 2025, placing seventh in the SAC Preview with an 8k time of 30:18.0 on September 27, 2025, and competing in the NCAA Division II Southeast Region Cross Country Championships 10k with a time of 34:45.3 on November 8, 2025. Most recently as a senior in 2026, he earned a new career-best time in the 6k by finishing the Golden Eagle Invitation in 7th place and leading Lincoln Memorial with a time of 19:34.6 on September 4, 2026.
