UVU cross country teams honored by USTFCCCA

OREM — The Utah Valley University men's and women's cross country teams are batting 1.000.

Since becoming eligible for NCAA postseason awards four years ago, the Wolverines have taken advantage.

For the fourth consecutive year, the teams were honored by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches' Association for their academic achievements.

The women's team, which recorded a team GPA of 3.40, was one of 205 institutions represent 30 conferences that compose the group to earn Div. I All-Academic status.

To lead all conferences, 14 teams from the Big East Conference earned All-Academic nods. The Pac-12 followed with 11. The Great West Conference had three: UVU, NJIT and Houston Baptist.

The men's team, which recorded a team GPA of 3.09, was one of 147 institutions represent 30 conferences that compose the group to earn Div. I All-Academic status.

The Big East Conference had the most squads make the list with 11. The Big 12 followed with eight. The Great West Conference had two: UVU and NJIT.

To qualify as a USTFCCCA All-Academic Cross Country Team, the team must have had a cumulative team GPA of 3.00 or better and have started at least five runners at their respective NCAA regional championship.

Jay Hinton is a sports information assistant at Utah Valley University.