Award History
NCAA DII mXC All-Academic TeamsWestern State’s Men Adds Scholar-Team of the Year Title to Cross County Haul
NEW ORLEANS – The Mountaineers of Western State College are the USTFCCCA NCAA Division II Men’s Scholar Team of the Year for the 2011 cross country season as announced Monday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). Western State won their first NCAA men’s cross country title since 2005 this fall.
Scholar Teams of the year are determined from among those who earned All-Academic status and placed highest as a team at the most recent NCAA Championships.
USTFCCCA NCAA Division II
Cross Country Men’s Scholar Team of the Year – Western State College
Western State’s squad, coached by Jennifer Michel, completed the 2011 fall semester with a 3.24 cumulative GPA. It is the second-consecutive Scholar-Team of the Year award for Western State.
The team engineered their first NCAA men’s cross country team crown since 2005 with a dominant victory at the NCAA Championships. Western State tallied just 27 points, placing their top five runners in the race’s top 13.
Western State also won their first RMAC title since 2004 and placed second in the NCAA Central Regional this past fall.
NCAA Champ Ryan Haebe and national runner-up Tyler Pennel made the All-Academic team announced last week. In addition, Western State squad members Michael Schmidt and Luke Verbus were honored with the nod.
Past Winners
2011: Western State
2010: Western State
2009: Adams State
2008: Adams State
2007: Abilene Christian
2006: Western State
80 Teams Earn All-Academic Status
In addition to the Scholar Team of the Year, the USTFCCCA also announced those men’s teams who earned 2011 Division II All-Academic Cross Country status.
A total of 80 institutions represent 19 conferences that compose the group. The GLIAC led all leagues with eight member institutions being named as All-Academic teams. The PSAC followed with seven.
Truman State reported the highest cumulative team GPA among men’s Division II squads with a 3.71. Gannon was next at 3.60.
Three of the top five finishing teams at the 2011 NCAA Cross Country Championships earned All-Academic status. Nine teams that qualified for the NCAA meet were among the honorees.
To qualify as a USTFCCCA All-Academic Cross Country Team, the team must have a cumulative team GPA of 3.00 or better and have compiled a score (finished at least five runners) at their respective NCAA regional championship.
USTFCCCA 2011 Division II Cross Country All-Academic Teams, MEN
| INSTITUTION | CONFERENCE |
GPA
|
| American International College | Northeast-10 Conference | 3.24 |
| Anderson University (South Carolina) | South Atlantic Conference | 3.11 |
| Angelo State University | Lone Star Conference | 3.33 |
| Ashland University | Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | 3.33 |
| Augusta State University | Peach Belt Conference | 3.10 |
| Bellarmine University | Great Lakes Valley Conference | 3.22 |
| Belmont Abbey College | Conference Carolinas | 3.05 |
| Bentley University | Northeast-10 Conference | 3.44 |
| C.W. Post Campus/Long Island University | East Coast Conference | 3.28 |
| California State Polytechnic University, Pomona | California Collegiate Athletic Association | 3.14 |
| California University of Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference | 3.36 |
| Carson-Newman College | South Atlantic Conference | 3.25 |
| Central Washington University | Great Northwest Athletic Conference | 3.03 |
| Clayton State University | Peach Belt Conference | 3.27 |
| Colorado School of Mines | Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference | 3.12 |
| Columbus State University | Peach Belt Conference | 3.09 |
| Concordia University, St. Paul | Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference | 3.17 |
| Drury University | Great Lakes Valley Conference | 3.29 |
| East Central University | Great American Conference | 3.05 |
| Edinboro University of Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference | 3.23 |
| Emporia State University | Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association | 3.26 |
| Fairmont State University | West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | 3.35 |
| Flagler College | Peach Belt Conference | 3.06 |
| Florida Southern College | Sunshine State Conference | 3.22 |
| Fort Hays State University | Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association | 3.13 |
| Fort Lewis College | Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference | 3.03 |
| Gannon University | Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference | 3.60 |
| Georgia College & State University | Peach Belt Conference | 3.09 |
| Grand Valley State University | Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | 3.13 |
| Harding University | Great American Conference | 3.25 |
| Humboldt State University | California Collegiate Athletic Association | 3.23 |
| King College | Conference Carolinas | 3.20 |
| Kutztown University of Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference | 3.13 |
| Lake Superior State University | Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | 3.30 |
| Le Moyne College | Northeast-10 Conference | 3.15 |
| Lenoir-Rhyne University | South Atlantic Conference | 3.20 |
| Lewis University | Great Lakes Valley Conference | 3.43 |
| Mars Hill College | South Atlantic Conference | 3.35 |
| Merrimack College | Northeast-10 Conference | 3.18 |
| Michigan Technological University | Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | 3.29 |
| Millersville University of Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference | 3.07 |
| Missouri Southern State University | Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association | 3.23 |
| Missouri University of Science and Technology | Great Lakes Valley Conference | 3.57 |
| Molloy College | East Coast Conference | 3.31 |
| Newman University | Heartland Conference | 3.10 |
| Northern Kentucky University | Great Lakes Valley Conference | 3.12 |
| Northern State University | Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference | 3.10 |
| Northwest Nazarene University | Great Northwest Athletic Conference | 3.04 |
| Philadelphia University | Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference | 3.31 |
| Queens College (New York) | East Coast Conference | 3.29 |
| Saginaw Valley State University | Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | 3.25 |
| Saint Leo University | Sunshine State Conference | 3.15 |
| Seattle Pacific University | Great Northwest Athletic Conference | 3.37 |
| Seton Hill University | West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | 3.16 |
| Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference | 3.05 |
| Southern Arkansas University | Great American Conference | 3.28 |
| Southwest Baptist University | Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association | 3.01 |
| St. Martin’s University | Great Northwest Athletic Conference | 3.27 |
| St. Thomas Aquinas College | East Coast Conference | 3.10 |
| Stonehill College | Northeast-10 Conference | 3.16 |
| Tarleton State University | Lone Star Conference | 3.13 |
| The University of Findlay | Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | 3.30 |
| Tiffin University | Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | 3.37 |
| Truman State University | Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association | 3.71 |
| University of Alaska Anchorage | Great Northwest Athletic Conference | 3.13 |
| University of Alaska Fairbanks | Great Northwest Athletic Conference | 3.24 |
| University of California, San Diego | California Collegiate Athletic Association | 3.15 |
| University of Central Missouri | Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association | 3.22 |
| University of Colorado, Colorado Springs | Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference | 3.11 |
| University of Mary | Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference | 3.32 |
| University of Minnesota Duluth | Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference | 3.26 |
| University of Montevallo | Peach Belt Conference | 3.00 |
| University of Nebraska at Kearney | Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference | 3.33 |
| Wayne State University (Michigan) | Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | 3.20 |
| West Chester University of Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference | 3.08 |
| West Liberty University | West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | 3.06 |
| Western State College of Colorado | Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference | 3.24 |
| Wilmington University (Delaware) | Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference | 3.00 |
| Wingate University | South Atlantic Conference | 3.17 |
| Winona State University | Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference | 3.01 |