Chris Derrick of Stanford Named Men’s Scholar Athlete of the Year for 2010 Division I Cross Country Season

NEW ORLEANS – Chris Derrick of Stanford University was named the USTFCCCA NCAA Division I Men’s Scholar Athlete of the Year for the 2010 cross country season on Monday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). Derrick was the fifth-place individual finisher at the 2010 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships in November.

Scholar Athletes are determined from among those who earned All-Academic status and placed highest individually at the most recent NCAA Championships.

USTFCCCA NCAA Division I
Cross Country Men’s Scholar Athlete of the Year – Chris Derrick, Stanford

Derrick, an economics major with a 3.84 cumulative GPA, placed fifth at the NCAA Cross Country Championships in the fall. The native of Naperville, Ill., was among the Stanford trio, along with Jake Riley and Elliott Heath, to have swept the top three at the Pac-10 Cross Country Championships and at the Pre-National Invitational. Derrick was the 2009 Pac-10 Cross Country Champion.

Derrick is the first from Stanford to win the award since Neftalem Araia in 2006.

Past Winners

56 Earn All-Academic Status

In addition to the Scholar Athlete of the Year, the USTFCCCA also announced those who earned 2010 Division I All-Academic Cross Country status.

A total of 56 student-athletes represent 42 institutions that compose the group. Oklahoma led all schools with four honorees while Richmond, Villanova, and Wisconsin followed with three each. The Big East and Big 12 led all conferences in the nation as each has nine representing their respective conferences. The Big Ten followed with eight.

Four of the top ten finishers at the 2010 NCAA Cross Country Championships earned All-Academic status, including Derrick, German Fernandez (Oklahoma State), Colby Lowe (Oklahoma State), and Mohammed Ahmed (Wisconsin). In addition, four NCAA Regional Champions from the 2010 season earned All-Academic standing.

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 either earned USTFCCCA All-America status or finished in the NCAA region’s top 15 (or top 10 percent) in 2010.

USTFCCCA 2010 Division I Cross Country All-Academic Honorees, MEN