Award History
NCAA DIII mTF All-Academic Athletes2019 USTFCCCA NCAA Division III Men’s Track & Field Athlete Academic Awards
NEW ORLEANS – Zach Lee of UW-Platteville (Men’s Indoor Track Scholar Athlete of the Year), Dhruvil Patel of North Central (Ill.) (Men’s Outdoor Track Scholar Athlete of the Year) and Will Daniels of Central (Iowa) (Men’s Indoor and Outdoor Field Scholar Athlete of the Year) were honored on 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 462 men from NCAA Division III who earned USTFCCCA All-Academic honors.
Scholar Athletes of the Year were selected as the highest finishing individual at the NCAA Division III Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field Championships who achieved All-Academic status. Those athletes who won individual NCAA 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.
Men’s Indoor Scholar Athlete Award History |
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Year
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Indoor Track
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Indoor Field
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2019
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Zach Lee, UW-Platteville
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Will Daniels, Central (Iowa)
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2018
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Dhruvil Patel, North Central (Ill.)
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Will Daniels, Central (Iowa)
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2017
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Deko Ricketts, Washington (Mo.)
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Robert Eason, Rhodes College
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2016
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Josh Thorson, UW-Eau Claire
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Tyler Burdoff, Baldwin Wallace
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2015
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Paul Escher, St. Olaf
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Colt Feltes, Wartburg
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2014
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John Crain, North Central (Ill.)
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Sean Donnelly, Mount Union
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2013
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Chris Stadler, Haverford
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Zach Ferrara, Brockport
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2012
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Tim Nelson, UW-Stout
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Tyler Genovese, UW-Eau Claire
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2011
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Ben Scheetz, Amherst
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Kevin Coyle, Springfield (Mass.)
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2010
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Steve Headley, Springfield (Mass.)
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Todd Wildman, Trinity (Texas)
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2009
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Dallas Vincent, UW-La Crosse
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Sam Johnson, UW-Eau Claire
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2008
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Jon Schellin, UW-Whitewater
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Cody Stelzer, Whitworth
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Lee, a senior from Franklin, Wisconsin, had a cumulative GPA of 3.76. He starred at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field Championships with an individual title in the mile. Lee is the first athlete in program history to be named Men’s Indoor Track Scholar Athlete of the Year.
Men’s Outdoor Scholar Athlete Award History |
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Year
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Outdoor Track
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Outdoor Field
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2019
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Dhruvil Patel, North Central (Ill.)
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Will Daniels, Central (Iowa)
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2018
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Mark Fairley, Central (Iowa)
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Tobias Muellers, Williams
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2017
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Deko Ricketts, Washington (Mo.)
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Theron Baumann, UW-Whitewater
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2016
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Daniel Pietsch, Emory
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Max Leonard, Illinois Wesleyan
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2015
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Paul Escher, St. Olaf
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Travon Godette, Westfield State
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2014
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Mike LeDuc, Conn. College
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Sean Donnelly, Mount Union
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2013
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Mike LeDuc, Conn. College
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Tom Postema, Defiance
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2012
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Tim Nelson, UW-Stout
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Tim VanLiew, Rutgers-Camden
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2011
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Alden Black, Springfield (Mass.)
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Peter Geraghty, North Central (Ill.)
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2010
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Connor Kamm, Williams
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Brock Solveson, Concordia (Wis.)
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2009
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Brian Harvey, Carnegie Mellon
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Brock Solveson, Concordia (Wis.)
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2008
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Andy Hodge, Wartburg
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Fritz Nugent, Redlands
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Patel, a senior from Skokie, Illinois, had a cumulative GPA of 3.67. He starred at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships with individual titles in the 5000 and 10,000. This is the first time that an athlete from North Central (Ill.) has been named Men’s Outdoor Track Scholar Athlete of the Year. Patel was the Men’s Indoor Track Scholar Athlete of the Year in 2018.
Daniels, a junior from Geneseo, Illinois, had a cumulative GPA of 3.99. He made quick work of the competition in the combined events as he won individual titles in the heptathlon and the decathlon. This is the second year in a row that Daniels was named Men’s Indoor Field Scholar Athlete of the Year and the first time that he was named Men’s Outdoor Field Scholar Athlete of the Year. Daniels is the first athlete to sweep these honors since Mount Union’s Sean Donnelly in 2014.
All-Academic Individuals
Including the Scholar Athletes of the Year, a total of 462 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:
- Competed in an NCAA Indoor or Outdoor Championship
- Finished the regular season ranked in the national top-50 in an individual event or ranked in the national top-35 in a relay event on the official NCAA Descending Order List.
See below for a full list of men’s athletes honored on Monday.