Official USTFCCCA Scholar Team Release
NEW ORLEANS – The Grand Valley State women are back on top and have been named the 2016 NCAA Division II Cross Country Scholar Team of the Year by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
A total of 23 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) cross country programs achieved this prestigious designation, including 12 women's teams and 11 men's squads. The University of Findlay posted the highest cumulative GPAs for both genders, 3.72 for the women and 3.48 on the men's side.
The two Scholar Teams lead a pack of 156 women's teams and 115 men's squads from the Division II level that captured All-Academic Team honors.
GVSU earned the Scholar Team honors as the highest-finishing team at the NCAA Championships to have garnered All-Academic Team honors. Teams must have compiled a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 and must have scored at an NCAA Division II regional meet to qualify for All-Academic awards.
USTFCCCA Men's All-Academic Teams | USTFCCCA Women's All-Academic Teams
Grand Valley State's reign of three-straight women's Scholar Team honors (2012-14) came to a halt last year when Adams State picked up the honor. This year, though, Grand Valley State took home the NCAA Division II Cross Country National Championship, scoring 116 points to Adams State's 139. Four of the five scorers for the Lakers earned All-Academic Individual honors in Kendra Foley – who claimed the USTFCCCA NCAA Division II Female Scholar Athlete of the Year and the NCAA Division II Individual National Championship – Stacey Metzger, Kelly Haubert and Rachel Bendewald. All told, six Lakers earned All-Academic Individual honors.
The Scholar Team honors for the Grand Valley State women's team mark the fifth time the program has won since the inception of the award in 2006, tying Adams State for the most.
A total of 164 institutions earned Scholar Team honors, with 110 of those schools seeing both of their men's and women's programs pick up the award.
The full lists of the All-Academic Teams can be found below.
| 2016 DIVISION II MEN'S ALL-ACADEMIC TEAMS (11) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Institution | Head Coach | GPA |
| Ashland University | Tom Scott | 3.07 |
| Grand Valley State University | Jerry Baltes | 3.20 |
| Hillsdale College | Andrew Towne | 3.24 |
| Lake Erie College | Grant Lofdahl | 3.39 |
| Michigan Technological University | Joe Haggenmiller | 3.30 |
| Northwood University | Michael Roberts | 3.38 |
| Saginaw Valley State University | Rod Cowan | 3.27 |
| The University of Findlay | Lisa Klingshirn | 3.48 |
| Tiffin University | Jeremy Croy | 3.32 |
| Walsh University | Rob Mizicko | 3.34 |
| Wayne State University (Michigan) | Rondell Ruff | 3.19 |
| 2016 DIVISION II WOMEN'S ALL-ACADEMIC TEAMS (12) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Institution | Head Coach | GPA |
| Ashland University | Tom Scott | 3.28 |
| Grand Valley State University | Jerry Baltes | 3.36 |
| Hillsdale College | Andrew Towne | 3.47 |
| Lake Erie College | Grant Lofdahl | 3.38 |
| Michigan Technological University | Joe Haggenmiller | 3.41 |
| Northern Michigan University | Jennifer Ryan | 3.59 |
| Northwood University | Michael Roberts | 3.45 |
| Saginaw Valley State University | Rod Cowan | 3.64 |
| The University of Findlay | Lisa Klingshirn | 3.72 |
| Tiffin University | Jeremy Croy | 3.69 |
| Walsh University | Rob Mizicko | 3.57 |
| Wayne State University (Michigan) | Rondell Ruff | 3.43 |
