Spence Wins Final Collegiate Award, Scholar-Athlete of the Year for 2011 Cross Country

NEW ORLEANS – Neely Spence of Shippensburg was named the USTFCCCA NCAA Division II Women’s Scholar Athlete of the Year for the 2011 cross country season on Wednesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). This fall, Spence won her second-straight NCAA Division II Cross Country individual title.

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

In addition to gaining her second-straight NCAA cross country crown, Spence, a native of Shippensburg, Pa., is also a two-time winner of the Scholar Athlete of the Year award for cross country. Spence carried a 3.86-cumulative GPA through the fall semester, studying Human Communication.

Spence won her the 2011 national championship with a 13-second victory over the field and a 6K time of 20:53. Spence led for the majority of the race, gradually expanding her lead as the runners staggered through frozen, snowy tundra.

Earlier in the fall, Spence captured her fourth-straight Atlantic Region crown and won the region this season by nearly a full minute with a 20:43 performance in the 6k. Spence also became the first in PSAC history to win four-straight league cross country crowns.

Spence announced shortly after cross country season that she would forego her track & field eligibility and turned to a professional career in running.

Past Winners

2011: Neely Spence, Shippensburg
2010: Neely Spence, Shippensburg
2009: Jessica Pixler, Seattle Pacific
2008: Jessica Pixler, Seattle Pacific
2007: Jessica Pixler, Seattle Pacific
2006: Esther Komen, Western State

354 Earn All-Academic Status

In addition to the Scholar Athlete of the Year, the USTFCCCA also announced those women who earned 2011 Division II All-Academic Cross Country status.

A total of 354 student-athletes represent the 117 institutions that compose the group. Among the nation’s squads, seven earned six All-Academic honors for the season, including Western State, Saginaw Valley State, Philadelphia, Edinboro, U-Mary, Grand Valley State, and Adams State. Another 19 teams notched five on the All-Academic list. Among conferences, the PSAC led them all with 58 honorees, followed by the GLIAC’s 37.

All of the top 12 finishers from the NCAA Cross Country Championships in the fall earned All-Academic honors, including the top eight overall finishers which each have a cumulative GPA of 3.70 or better.

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 2011 Division II Cross Country All-Academic Honorees, WOMEN