Award History
NAIA mTF All-Academic Athletes2019 USTFCCCA NAIA Men’s Track & Field Athlete Academic Awards
NEW ORLEANS – Luke Skinner of Saint Mary (Kan.) (Men’s Indoor Track Scholar Athlete of the Year), Jacob Cornelio of Concordia (Neb.) (Men’s Indoor Field Scholar Athlete of the Year), Oscar Kipkoros of Oklahoma City (Men’s Outdoor Track Scholar Athlete of the Year) and Bryce Vollrath of Olivet Nazarene (Men’s Outdoor Field Scholar Athlete of the Year) were honored Monday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
Combining their accomplishments in the classroom and in competition during the recently completed academic year, these four men were the most exceptional among a group of 185 men from NAIA who earned USTFCCCA All-Academic honors.
Scholar Athletes of the Year were selected as the highest finishing individual at the NAIA Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field Championships who achieved All-Academic status. Those athletes who won individual NAIA titles ranked higher in the tiebreaking process and cumulative GPA is weighed as the final advantage.
Separate awards are given to track athletes and field athletes for the indoor and outdoor seasons, hence the four categories.
Skinner, a sophomore from Montezuma, Kansas, had a cumulative GPA of 4.00. He won an individual title in the 1000 and was a member of the title-winning DMR team at the 2019 NAIA Indoor Track & Field Championships.
Cornelio, a junior from Elk Grove, California, had a cumulative GPA of 3.39. He finished runner-up in the weight throw at the 2019 NAIA Indoor Track & Field Championships.
Kipkoros, a junior from Iten, Kenya, had a cumulative GPA of 3.64. He won an individual title in the steeplechase and placed fifth in the 5000 at the 2019 NAIA Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
Vollrath, a junior from Peoria, Illionis, had a cumulative GPA of 3.56. He finished third in the shot put at the 2019 NAIA Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
All-Academic Individuals
Including the Scholar Athletes of the Year, a total of 185 men earned USTFCCCA All-Academic honors during the 2018-19 track & field seasons.
To qualify for USTFCCCA All-Academic honors, the student-athlete must have compiled a cumulative GPA of 3.30 and must have met at least one of the following athletic standards:
- Cumulative GPA: 3.25 or higher on a 4.0 scale, including the most recent grading period, certifiable by either Faculty Rep or Compliance Coordinator or Registrar’s Office. Institutions utilizing a different GPA scale must convert the GPA to a 4.0 scale using the standard conversion method [GPA/Scale x 4.0].
- Athletic criteria for the award can be met in either the indoor season, the outdoor season, or both:
- For the indoor season: must have achieved an “A” or “B” standard in a Championship event, certifiable by their place on the NAIA descending order lists on TFRRS for Indoor Track and Field.
- For the outdoor season: must have achieved an “A” or “B” standard in a Championship event, certifiable by their place on the NAIA descending order lists on TFRRS for Outdoor Track and Field.
- Must have completed at least two (2) semesters or three (3) quarters at the certifying institution.
See below for a full list of men’s athletes honored on Monday.