Feb. 17, 2011
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The University of Kentucky men’s and women’s cross country teams were recognized as national All-Academic Teams by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association, announced Thursday from its home office in New Orleans.
“I am very pleased that the athletes we have here at Kentucky are very conscientious of their school work,” head coach Don Weber said. “Each of the members on the cross country teams are model student-athletes and I am very appreciative of their work in the classroom and on the course or track.”
Eligibility for the USTFCCCA All-Academic Team award requires a squad to compete and compile a team score at an NCAA Regional Meet. The team must also have a minimum 3.00 team cumulative grade point average (GPA).
Kentucky’s women’s squad ranks third in the Southeastern Conference’s 10 schools honored, behind Alabama who holds the highest GPA in the country (3.88) and South Carolina (3.62). The Cats’ cumulative GPA of 3.57 is ranked 27th overall nationally.
“I am very proud of our teams’ performance in the classroom,” academic counselor Mike Pirrman said.” Balancing academics and athletics at a high level can be a daunting task. They work extremely hard and spend countless hours studying and meeting with tutors in the Center for Academic and Tutorial Services.”
The women’s team finished 14th overall out of 37 teams at the NCAA Southeast Regional, led by sophomore Cally Macumber, who claimed the highest finish for either team placing 65th out of 253 entrants. The native of Rochester Hills, Mich., was coming off a courage-filled performance at the SEC Championships where she earned All-conference second-team honors for a 13th place finish. Macumber has earned All-SEC honors in each of the four seasons she has competed (2009 cross country, 2010 indoor, 2010 outdoor and 2010 cross country).
The men’s team finished 21st out of 34 teams at the NCAA regional and were led by freshman Stacey Eden (Simpsonville, Ky.). The Cats are one of six SEC men’s squads on the USTFCCCA list with a 3.08 cumulative GPA.
Kentucky is one of just six SEC schools to have both cross country teams honored.
Many of the cross country athletes will compete in the SEC Indoor Track and Field Championships Feb. 25-27, hosted by the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Ark.
Follow all the Kentucky track and field and cross country action on UKathletics.com.
