Cross Country Scholar-Athlete of the Year in Division III Awarded to Bethel’s Marie Borner

NEW ORLEANS – Marie Borner of Bethel (Minn.) has been named as Division III’s female cross country Scholar-Athlete of the Year for the 2009 season as announced by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) on Thursday. Borner is also among 188 given All-Academic status for the previous cross country season for their efforts in the classroom and on nation’s cross country courses.

2008 Honorees | Award History

Borner, a senior from Cottage Grove, Minn., has a 3.42 cumulative GPA through the 2009 fall semester and is majoring in Exercise Science. The Scholar-Athlete of the Year award goes to the highest individual finisher from the previous year’s NCAA Cross Country Championship among those given USTFCCCA All-Academic status.

In the fall, Borner, the 2008 NCAA Cross Country Champion, finished runner-up at the national championships. Borner was also named the USTFCCCA Central Region Female Athlete of the Year after winning her second-conseuctive NCAA Central Region title. Borner became the first MIAC women’s cross country runner in more than 20 years to win three straight individual titles at the conference meet on October 31, earning the conference Most Valuable Athlete honor for the third consecutive year.

Borner is joined by Heather Jelen and Kristin Mork from Bethel as members of the All-Academic squad.

The USTFCCCA All-Academic award honors those student-athletes who have succeeded both academically and athletically.  To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must carry a minimum 3.3 cumulative grade point average and must finish in the top 35 among the field at their respective NCAA regional meet.

The 188 USTFCCCA All-Academic honorees represent 92 schools around the country. The list includes 13 who were reported to have 4.0 or better GPAs at the end of the 2009 fall semester: Simone Childs-Walker of Carleton, Kerrin Epstein of Gettysburg, Lolly Plummer of Hendrix, Maria Monks of MIT, Kristyn Zeiler of Methodist, Lauren Hooks of North Central (Ill.), Alison Steinbrunner of Ohio Northern, Marie Ferro of RPI, Lauren Schultz of Washington and Lee, Liz Phillips of Washington (Mo.), Joy Shufeldt of Whitworth, Kathryn Williams of Whitworth, and Jennifer Gosseles of Williams.

The All-Academic list also includes six who finished in the nation’s top 10 at the NCAA Cross Country Championships and six of nine regional champions.

Williams College placed six names on the list while four other schools landed five on the list.  The University Athletic Association (UAA) paced the nation among all conferences with 19 honorees. The Northwest Conference (NWC) was next with 16.

The male Scholar-Athlete of the Year in Division III, along with additional individuals given All-Academic status, will be released tomorrow, Friday, February 26. Those institutions given All-Academic Team status will be named on Thursday, March 4 (men) and Friday, March 5 (women).

USTFCCCA 2009 Division III Cross Country All-Academic Honorees, WOMEN

* Reported having a 4.0 cumulative GPA
^ Scholar-Athlete of the Year