2018 NAIA Cross Country Individual Academic Awards

NEW ORLEANS – Alex Martin of the College of Idaho and Anna Shields of Point Park (Pa.) are the Scholar Athletes of the Year for the 2018 NAIA Cross Country season, as announced on Thursday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

Martin and Shields stood out both on the grass circuit and in the classroom and were honored nationally for their excellence.

There were 250 student-athletes who earned USTFCCCA All-Academic honors with women accounting for 59.2 percent of the total (148). No program had more total individuals honored than Lewis-Clark State with 13 (Taylor was close behind with 12).

In order to qualify for this honor, student-athletes must have compiled a cumulative GPA of 3.25 in addition to competing at the NAIA Championships.

Martin finished fifth at the NAIA Championships this past November. It was a strong season for Martin as he also finished third at the Cascade Conference Championships and fourth at the William Jessup Warrior Invitational.

Shields is someone who needs no introduction. The senior won the individual title at the NAIA Championships by nearly four seconds to cap an outstanding final season. Shields also nabbed individual crowns at four other meets, including the River States Conference Championships and the NAIA Great Lakes Challenge Invitational.

There were 27 student-athletes who earned a perfect cumulative GPA of 4.0, including three individuals from both Dordt (Iowa) and Oregon Tech.

See below for a full list of student-athletes honored by the USTFCCCA.

2018 NAIA CROSS COUNTRY – ALL-ACADEMIC INDIVIDUALS