NEW ORLEANS - - On top of the individual academic awards the Wilmington University men's and women's cross country runners earned last week, the United State Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) announced the teams who earned 2011 Division II All-Academic Cross Country status and both Wildcat teams were mentioned.
The women's cross country team, coached by Keith Jones, achieved a cumulative 3.55 GPA to earn the academic achievement. They are one of 124 teams, representing 23 conferences, to earn All-Academic status across NCAA Division II. The Lady Wildcats are one of three teams from the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference to be named All-Academic, along with Georgian Court and University of the Sciences.
Runners Whitney Hora, Althea Davidson and Danielle Riley earned All-Academic honors last week.
Overall, the Wilmington women posted the 18th highest GPA in all of NCAA Division II, tied with Pittsburg State University. University of Nebraska at Kearney and Gannon University had the highest GPA, coming in at 3.78 for the semester.
Western State tallied a cumulative team GPA of 3.61 through the fall, taking home the Cross Country Women's Scholar Team of the Year. Western State placed second as a team at the NCAA Cross Country Championships after claiming its first region title since 2006 and winning the RMAC title as well.
On the men's side, the Wildcats accumulated 3.00 GPA, also earning USTFCCCA 2011 Division II All-Academic Cross Country status. Ritchie Mitten earned individual All-Academic honors last week.
Also coached by Jones, the men were a part of 80 institutions that represented 19 conferences on the list. In addition to Wilmington, the CACC also had Philadelphia University on the list of All-Academic teams. 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.
To qualify as a USTFCCCA All-Academic Cross Country Team, the team must have a cumulative GPA of 3.00 or better and have compiled a score (finished at least five runners) at their respective NCAA regional championship.