NCAA DII Cross Country Individual Academic Awards – 2016

NEW ORLEANS – Grand Valley State’s Kendra Foley and Missouri Southern’s Vincent Kiprop continue to get it done on the course and in the classroom.

This past fall, both managed to capture the individual NCAA Division II Cross Country championship titles. Both will add to their trophy cases, as the duo was honored on Thursday as the NCAA Division II Female and Male Scholar Athletes of the Year, respectively, for the 2016 cross country season by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

The honor is not new for the pair, as they both claimed the NCAA Division II Scholar Athletes of the Year last season, as well.

The individual All-Academic honor was awarded to those athletes who have compiled a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.25 and finished among the top 30 percent of eligible runners at his or her regional championships and/or the top half of the field at the NCAA Championships.

USTFCCCA Men’s All-Academic | USTFCCCA Women’s All-Academic

Foley posted a 3.55 cumulative in communications to pick up the honor for the second-consecutive season. The two-time NCAA Division II National Champion from Noblesville, Indiana, posted a finish of 20:01.8 during this past season’s DII National Championship, finishing almost 25 seconds faster than her nearest opponent.

Foley wrapped up her collegiate cross country career with four consecutive USTFCCCA All-American honors. For her career, Foley finished no lower than 11th at the NCAA Division II National Championships, as she placed second as a junior and 11th as a freshman.

Foley is the seventh winner since the award was introduced in 2006, and she becomes the third to claim back-to-back honors, joining Shippensburg’s Neely Spence (2010-11) and Seattle Pacific’s Jessica Pixler (2007-09).

Kiprop, who majors in nursing, continued his assault on the sport, as he captured the NCAA DII National Championship in a brisk time of 29:07.4, bouncing back after placing second as a true freshman in 2015. The Kenya native outdistanced 2015 NCAA DII National Champion Alfred Chelanga of Shorter by 29 seconds.

Kiprop joins Tabor Stevens (2013-14) and Aaron Braun (2007-08) – both of Adams State – as repeat winners. Kiprop is the eighth male to claim the honors since the inception of the award in 2006.

Overall, 404 women earned the honors from 137 different institutions, with a whopping 53 laying claim to a perfect 4.00 grade point average. Five squads in California Baptist University, Northern Michigan University, Pittsburg State University, Union University and University of Montevallo saw each member of its varsity line-up on the All-Academic List. Another ten schools posted six All-Academic honorees.

On the men’s side, 269 individuals represented 118 different institutions, with 20 men notching a flawless 4.00 grade point average. Bellarmine University, Bentley University and Colorado State Univesrity-Pueblo were the lone three schools on the men’s side that saw six individuals on the All-Academic list.

Full lists of the All-Academic honorees can be found below.

2016 DIVISION II MEN’S ALL-ACADEMIC INDIVIDUALS

2016 DIVISION II WOMEN’S ALL-ACADEMIC INDIVIDUALS