Complete 2011 USTFCCCA All-Academic Honoree List
FAIRBANKS, Alaska - Five of the Alaska Nanooks women's cross country team members garnered 2011 Division II All-Academic Cross Country honors as announced by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association this week. This year's USTFCCCA All-Academic list included 354 student-athletes from 117 institutions and UAF was one of 19 schools to have five women recognized.
Alaska's honored athletes include seniors
Jana Benedix (Fairbanks, AK; Biology),
Crystal Pitney (Fairbanks, AK; Business Administration) and
Theresia Schnurr (Buhlertal, Germany; Physics), and juniors
Heather Edic (Fairbanks, AK; Mechanical Engineering) and
Raphaela Sieber (Voehrenbach, Germany; Business Administration).
All five competed at the NCAA Championships in November, representing Alaska at the national event as a team for the first time ever at the national event. They entered Championship weekend ranked 19th on the final USTFCCCA Division II Women's Poll and improved for a 17th place finish overall in their debut on the national stage.
“I am extremely proud of these women,” said head coach
Scott Jerome. “Not only did they set a goal of qualifying for the national championships, but also to be exceptional students in the classroom. They achieved both.”
For Schnurr it is her second such accolade, having earned her first during the 2009-10 season as a sophomore. Prior to that only one other Nanook garnered the recognition as former runner Julia (Coulter) Pierson was the first back in 2007-08.
“The support that these women receive from the university and from the greater Fairbanks community has helped them to reach goals which are quite lofty,” Jerome added. “These academic awards speak not only to the commitment of each team member, but also to the commitment of the athletic department, the university, and our boosters, families and friends.”
To qualify for the USTFCCCA All-Academic Track and Field Team in Division II, the student-athlete must have compiled a cumulative grade point average of 3.25 or greater through the most-recent semester, completed at least 12 credit hours in the semester of cross country competition, and placed in the top 50 percent at the most recent NCAA National Championships or in the top 30 percent at the NCAA Regional Championships.
