UMass Lowell’s Jeff Veiga Honored as Division II’s Scholar Athlete of the Year

NEW ORLEANS – Jeff Veiga of UMass Lowell was named the USTFCCCA NCAA Division II Men’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). Veiga was the third overall individual finisher at the NCAA Cross Country Championships this 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 Men’s Scholar Athlete of the Year – Jeff Veiga, UMass Lowell

Veiga, an accounting major with a 3.33 cumulative GPA, was the third-place overall finisher at the 2010 NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships. In addition, the Lowell, Mass., native won the NCAA East Regional title this fall to earn USTFCCCA East Region Athlete of the Year honors. Veiga was the runner-up at the Northeast-10 Conference Championships.

Past Winners

182 Earn All-Academic Status

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

A total of 182 student-athletes represent the 89 institutions that compose the group. Mars Hill led the nation with five All-Academic honorees while 11 schools tied with four nods apiece to follow. The PSAC led all conferences with 29 on the list and the GLVC came next with 15.

Ten of the top 20 finishers at the 2010 NCAA Cross Country Championships earned All-Academic status, including top-ten finishers Veiga, Brandon Birdsong (Adams State), and Jordan Welling (Western Washington). In addition, two 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, MEN