Cross Country Teams Earn USTFCCA All-Academic Honors
FOREST GROVE – After a great season of improvement over the fall, the Pacific men's and women's cross country teams are being honored by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCA) for their excellence in the classroom.
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Both teams have been selected as 2011 Division III All-Academic teams by the USTFCCCA. The women were honored for the third straight year, while the men were selected for the second time over the last three seasons.
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To be selected, teams must compile a cumulative team grade point average of 3.10 or better. The Pacific women compiled a cumulative team GPA of 3.31 while the Pacific men compiled a cumulative GPA or 3.20. A total of seven women's teams and six men's teams from the Northwest Conference earned All-Academic Team status.
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"We are pleased that the time and dedication that our runners put into our sport is matched by the time and effort that they give their academics," said Pacific Head Cross Country Coach Tim Boyce. "This recognition goes to a great group of men and women that strive to do their best in everything they do here at Pacific."
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Both the Pacific men's and women's teams experienced significant growth during the 2011 season. The Boxer men finished fifth at the Northwest Conference Championships and 10th at the NCAA Division III West Region Championships, the team's best placing in either event since 2002. The team was led by individual USTFCCCA All-Academic selection
Joe Deardorff (Jr., Independence, Ore.) and
Dan Flora (Jr., North Bend, Ore.), who both ran to Second Team All-NWC and All-West Region honors.
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The Pacific women finished eighth at the NWC Championships and were 18th at the NCAA West Region Championships. Pacific had five runners who finished with new or improved times on the Boxers' all-time top-25 times at the championships distance of 6,000-meters, led by a No. 5 ranking for
Rachel Schreiber (Fr., Longmont, Colo.) with a time of 23:23.77.
