Cross Country Earns National Academic Team Awards
WASHINGTON, Pa. - The Washington & Jefferson College cross country squads sent runners to the NCAA Division III Men’s and Women’s Championships for the first time in history in 2011 and the honors continued to roll in recently as both teams were honored with USTFCCCA Team All-Academic laurels.
The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association announced 187 women’s teams and 131 men’s squads as All-Academic programs. To qualify as a USTFCCCA All-Academic Cross Country Team, the team must have had a cumulative GPA of 3.10 through the fall 2011 semester.
The Washington & Jefferson men posted a 3.35 team grade-point average which was tops among PAC schools and 46th nationally. The Presidents were led all season by junior national qualifier Scott Ryan (Williamsville, N.Y./Williamsville East). Ryan was named to the All-Academic individual team last week.
The Presidents’ women recorded a 3.27 team GPA which was the 151st-best average in NCAA Division III. Freshman Kristen Galligan (Frederick, Md./Governor Thomas Johnson), also an All-Academic individual honoree, burst onto the scene this fall as a rookie.
Both Ryan and Galligan were the PAC runners-up and the 13th-place finishers at the NCAA Mideast Regional.
Washington (Mo.) was the Women’s Scholar Team of the Year, while Haverford (Pa.) collected the men’s team award for the second-straight year.
