O’Hare, Beach, Morton, Ziegler are Year’s Scholar-Athletes for DI Men’s Track & Field

NEW ORLEANS – Tulsa’s Chris O’Hare, Duke’s Curtis Beach, Stanford’s Amaechi Morton, and Virginia Tech’s Alexander Ziegler were named Scholar Athletes of the Year in Division I for the 2012 men’s track & field seasons by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). The group represents collegiate track & field’s best in both athletics and academics. In addition, 431 student-athletes were tapped as USTFCCCA All-Academic honorees.

Scholar Athlete of the Year Awards are determined from among those who earned All-Academic status and placed highest in individual events at the most recent NCAA Championships. Those who earn multiple individual championship titles rank higher in the tie-breaking process, and cumulative GPA is weighed as the final tiebreaker to establish a winner. Separate awards are given to track athletes and field athletes for the indoor and outdoor seasons, resulting in four categories.

Indoor Track Scholar Athlete of the Year –
Chris O’Hare, Tulsa

O’Hare, a native of Edinburgh, Scotland, won the Mile at the NCAA Indoor Championships (4:01.66) and carries a 3.65 cumulative GPA through the spring semester. He was also Conference USA’s Indoor Athlete of the Year.

Indoor Field Scholar Athlete of the Year –
Curtis Beach, Duke

A native of Albuquerque, N.M., Beach won the heptathlon with 6,138 points at the NCAA indoor meet and holds a 3.51 cumulative GPA. He was selected as the USTFCCCA’s National Indoor Field Athlete of the Year.

Outdoor Track Scholar Athlete of the Year –
Amaechi Morton, Stanford

Morton, a native of Atlanta, Ga., clocked 48.79 to win the NCAA title in the 400 meter hurdles. He holds a cumulative GPA of 3.25 and is the two-time consecutive winner of this award.

Outdoor Field Scholar Athlete of the Year –
Alexander Ziegler, Virginia Tech

A native of Dischingen, Germany, Ziegler won the hammer throw at the NCAA Championships this spring (75.78/248-7). Holding a 3.50 cumulative GPA, he is a two-time winner of this award. Ziegler was also a semifinalist for The Bowerman this season and the USTFCCCA Southeast Field Athlete of the Year.

Past Winners

Indoor Track & Field (track athlete)
2012: Chris O’Hare, Tulsa
2011: Miles Batty, BYU
2010: David McNeill, Northern Arizona
2009: Galen Rupp, Oregon
2008: Jason Richardson, South Carolina

Indoor Track & Field (field athlete)
2012: Curtis Beach, Duke
2011: Scott Roth, Washington
2010: Ryan Whiting, Arizona State
2009: Jason Lewis, Arizona State
2008: Ryan Whiting, Arizona State

Indoor Track & Field (single award)
2007: Brad Gebauer, McNeese State

Outdoor Track & Field (track athlete)
2012: Amaechi Morton, Stanford
2011: Amaechi Morton, Stanford
2010: David McNeill, Northern Arizona
2009: Galen Rupp, Oregon
2008: Jason Richardson, South Carolina

Outdoor Track & Field (field athlete)
2012: Alexander Ziegler, Virginia Tech
2011: Alexander Ziegler, Virginia Tech
2010: Ryan Whiting, Arizona State
2009: Scott Sellers, Kansas State
2008: Cory Martin, Auburn

Outdoor Track & Field (single award)
2007: Barnabas Kirui, Mississippi

431 Earn All-Academic Status

In addition to the Scholar Athletes of the Year, the USTFCCCA also announced the men’s 2012 Division I All-Academic Track & Field team. A total of 431 student-athletes representing 148 institutions compose the group. BYU lead the country with 16 named to the All-Academic Team. Following the Cougars in the count are Minnesota (11), Stanford (10), and Duke (9).

The Big Ten Conference is the top league with 47 named to the list. The Big 12 (45) and the ACC (42) were next in the tally.

To qualify for the USTFCCCA All-Academic Track and Field Team, the student-athlete must have compiled a cumulative grade point average of 3.25 and have met either of the following athletic standards: for the indoor season, a student-athlete must have finished the regular season ranked in the national top 96 in an individual event or ranked in the national top 48 (collective listing) in a relay event on the official NCAA POP list provided by TFRRS.org; for the outdoor season, a student-athlete must have participated in any round of the NCAA Division I Championships (including preliminary rounds).

USTFCCCA 2012 Division I Track & Field All-Academic Honorees, MEN