Former General XC runner among tops academically for Mocs

The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men’s cross country team posted the No. 2 GPA in the nation and was named a United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) AllAcademic Team for the 2017 season.

The Mocs posted a team grade point average of 3.64, behind UC Davis. This is the third time in six years the Mocs have boasted the second best GPA in the country. They have been first three times in the same span.

“We are very pleased and proud of the kids’ academic achievements,” Chattanooga head coach Andy Meyer said. “We impress upon the kids as soon as we start recruiting them and then as soon as they arrive on campus, the importance of academic performance.

“Amanda (Cotter, assistant coach) and I believe that the same characteristics essential to be a successful runner, are essential and directly related to classroom success.

“These kids are competitive, motivated, dedicated, and love the process of improvement. They are self-starters and demand the utmost of themselves both athletically and certainly academically. These kids realize the academic legacy here and are driven to continue it.”

Sophomores Jacob Etheridge and exHeritage High School standout Ryan Gebelein each have an overall GPA of 4.0. The pair, along with juniors Mark Britt and Richard Guiry all posted 4.0 GPAs in the fall.

Seven members of the men’s team were named to the Dean’s List and eight earned a spot on the UTC Athletics Director’s Honor Roll.

The Chattanooga women posted an impressive 3.52 team GPA and were ranked 90th out of 230 teams with a combined grade point average 3.0 or better. Freshman Sophia Neglia and sophomore Abby Bateman each carry

an overall 4.0 GPA and eight members of the women’s team had a perfect mark in the fall. Twelve earned a spot on the Dean’s List and 15 were named to the Athletics Director’s Honor Roll.

“What’s amazing about the kids is their respective majors,” Meyer added. “The majority of the guys and several girls are engineering majors. We have pre-med/ biology majors, nursing majors, economic and accounting majors, environmental science majors, mathematics majors etc. These are

tough classes the kids excel in. On the team bus, as you walk down the aisle, you’ll see kids studying calculus, differential equations, genetics, organic chemistry, anatomy and physiology, and physics. The kids work very hard academically and most people don’t see the hours the kids put into the books. Our kids may spend up wards of four hours a day in practice, attend classes all day then have to go to the dorm and studying most if not all evening. It’s a grind, a very hard grind for the kids. Our academic counselor, Lisa Tarr, does a great job of helping the kids stay focused and pointed in the proper

direction.”

New Mexico’s women and Portland’s men were each named the NCAA Division I Scholar Team of the Year for the 2017 cross country season. They each earned the honor by being the top finishing team from their gender with a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. The Lady Lobos captured the women’s team titles while the Pilots placed runner-up to Northern Arizona who did not qualify for this award.

This is the second time in the past three years that New Mexico won the Women’s Scholar Team of the year Award.