Lynchburg’s Ricky Flynn Honored as DIII Cross Country Scholar-Athlete of the Year

NEW ORLEANS – Ricky Flynn of Lynchburg has been named as Division III’s male 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 Friday. Flynn is also among 129 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

Flynn, a senior, from Lynchburg, Va., has a 3.46 cumulative GPA in the field of Business Administration. 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.

Flynn was named the USTFCCCA’s National Male Cross Country Athlete of the Year in the fall after earning his first NCAA cross country title. Flynn won the 10-kilomater NCAA race in a course-record 25:09.08 besting runner-up Michael Spain of North Central by over 20 seconds.

Flynn was also the 2009 USTCCCA South/Southeast Region Athlete of the Year after notching his third-straight Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Championship and capturing the NCAA South/Southeast Region crown.

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 129 USTFCCCA All-Academic honorees represent 70 schools around the country. The list includes four who were reported to have 4.0 or better GPAs at the end of the 2009 fall semester: Robert Ontko of Case Western Reserve, Andrew Smith of Catholic University of America, Jordan Karnes of Heidleberg, and Bobby Torphy of Muhlenberg

The All-Academic list also includes five who finished in the nation’s top 10 at the NCAA Cross Country Championships.

Haverford paced the field with six named to the All-Academic list while Emory landed five to roll.  The University Athletic Association (UAA) paced the nation among all conferences with 17 honorees.

The female Scholar-Athlete of the Year in Division III was Marie Borner of Bethel (Minn.). 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, MEN

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