Neely Spence of Shippensburg Adds Scholar Athlete of the Year Title to NCAA Crown

NEW ORLEANS – Neely Spence of Shippensburg was named the USTFCCCA NCAA Division II Women’s Scholar Athlete of the Year for the 2010 cross country season on Wednesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). Spence won the NCAA Cross Country individual title in the fall.

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

USTFCCCA NCAA Division II
Cross Country Women’s Scholar Athlete of the Year – Neely Spence, Shippensburg

Spence, a junior from Shippensburg, Pa., won the NCAA women’s individual title in cross country for the first time this past fall and became the school’s first national champion in the sport. Spence, who holds a 3.84 cumulative GPA in the field of human communication studies, took the six-kilometer race at the national championships in 20:41.2, over 15 seconds ahead of runner-up Sarah Porter of Western Washington. Spence led the Red Raiders to a fourth-place national team finish.

Spence went undefeated through the 2010 cross country season, winning a third-straight NCAA regional title and PSAC conference crown to go with the national crown. At the Greater Louisville Classic, Spence set a new 5k course record and won the race which included many from Division I.

Past Winners

313 Earn All-Academic Status

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

A total of 313 student-athletes represent the 115 institutions that compose the group. Slippery Rock, U-Mary, and Western State led the nation with seven All-Academic honorees while five schools tied with six nods apiece to follow. The PSAC led all conferences with 52 on the list and the Northeast-10 came next with 25.

Twelve of the top 20 finishers at the 2010 NCAA Cross Country Championships earned All-Academic status, including top-ten finishers Spence, Kristen McGlynn (Adams State), Ruth Keino (Alaska-Anchorage), and Megan Maceratini (Grand Valley State). In addition, six of eight NCAA Regional Champions from the 2010 season earned All-Academic honors.

To qualify for the USTFCCCA All-Academic Track and Field Team in Division II, the student-athlete must have compiled a cumulative grade point average of 3.25 or greater through the most-recent semester, completed at least 12 credit hours in the semester of cross country competition, and placed in the top 50 percent at the most recent NCAA National Championships or in the top 30 percent at the NCAA Regional Championships.

USTFCCCA 2010 Division II Cross Country All-Academic Honorees, WOMEN