Women's Cross Country Named to USTFCCCA All-Academic Team
3/5/2009 12:00:00 AM
March 5, 2009
NEW ORLEANS, La. - The University of Alabama women's cross country program has been named to the 2008 USTFCCCA All-Academic Team as announced by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association on Wednesday for their outstanding performances in the classroom as well as on the course. The team boasts the second highest grade point average in the nation with a 3.751.
"These girls are in very challenging academic fields, what they're studying is challenging," head women's cross country coach Randy Hasenbank said. "I think it's something that we can accomplish every year. I'm really, really proud of them. That's possibly our best team GPA ever; I'm going to assume it's one of the best. That's probably one of the best in the department, which is another one of our goals is to be the best in the athletic department."
The University of Washington Huskies are the 2008 NCAA Division I USTFCCCA Women's Cross Country Scholar Team of the Year. Washington won their first NCAA Division I Cross Country team championship at the 2008 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships. The squad sports a 3.28 team GPA.
The University of South Carolina had the highest overall team grade point average (3.767). A record total of 160 Division I women's programs received the USTFCCCA's All-Academic Team honors this year compared to 158 schools from last season.
Over forty-five percent of all Division I institutions (394) who sponsor women's cross country received the honor. In addition, seven of the top 10 teams and 14 of the top 20 teams at this year's NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships were named USTFCCCA All-Academic Teams.
The Big East Conference and Big Ten Conference tied for the most conference members represented on the list with 11 teams each, followed by the Southeastern Conference and the Big 12 Conference with nine teams each and the Atlantic Coast Conference with eight teams on the list.
"As far as the accomplishment, that is one of our goals is to lead the country in that category as well," Hasenbank said. "We recruited female athletes that are great students and great athletes. It's difficult to manage all of the things a student-athlete has to manage in a career."
For a team to be considered for the USTFCCCA All-Academic Team award, they must have competed and compiled a team score at an NCAA Regional Meet. The team must also have a minimum 3.00 team cumulative grade point average.
The 2008 NCAA Division I USTFCCCA Women's All-Academic Teams
| INSTITUTION | CONFERENCE | GPA | REGION |
| University of South Carolina, Columbia | Southeastern Conference | 3.767 | Southeast |
| University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa | Southeastern Conference | 3.751 | South |
| University of Idaho | Western Athletic Conference | 3.730 | West |
| Lipscomb University | Atlantic Sun Conference | 3.680 | South |
| South Dakota State University | The Summit League | 3.680 | Midwest |
| University of Nebraska, Lincoln | Big 12 Conference | 3.664 | Midwest |
| University of Utah | Mountain West Conference | 3.656 | Mountain |
| West Virginia University | Big East Conference | 3.650 | Mid Atlantic |
| Quinnipiac University | Northeast Conference | 3.640 | Northeast |
| Utah State University | Western Athletic Conference | 3.640 | Mountain |
| DePaul University | Big East Conference | 3.637 | Midwest |
| Coastal Carolina University | Big South Conference | 3.632 | Southeast |
| University of Louisville | Big East Conference | 3.627 | Southeast |
| Bowling Green State University | Mid-American Conference | 3.618 | Great Lakes |
| University of Evansville | Missouri Valley Conference | 3.602 | Great Lakes |
| Central Michigan University | Mid-American Conference | 3.595 | Great Lakes |
| Austin Peay State University | Ohio Valley Conference | 3.594 | South |
| Villanova University | Big East Conference | 3.587 | Mid Atlantic |
| University of Dayton | Atlantic 10 Conference | 3.584 | Great Lakes |
| Ohio University | Mid-American Conference | 3.564 | Great Lakes |
| High Point University | Big South Conference | 3.560 | Southeast |
| Illinois State University | Missouri Valley Conference | 3.560 | Midwest |
| Yale University | Ivy Group | 3.560 | Northeast |
| Indiana University, Bloomington | Big Ten Conference | 3.550 | Great Lakes |
| Missouri State University | Missouri Valley Conference | 3.548 | Midwest |
| Saint Joseph's University | Atlantic 10 Conference | 3.540 | Mid Atlantic |
| St. John's University (New York) | Big East Conference | 3.540 | Northeast |
| Valparaiso University | Horizon League | 3.536 | Great Lakes |
| Washington State University | Pacific-10 Conference | 3.535 | West |
| Clemson University | Atlantic Coast Conference | 3.530 | Southeast |
| Cleveland State University | Horizon League | 3.526 | Great Lakes |
| Mississippi State University | Southeastern Conference | 3.520 | South |
| State University of New York at Binghamton | America East Conference | 3.520 | Northeast |
| Baylor University | Big 12 Conference | 3.510 | South Central |
| Belmont University | Atlantic Sun Conference | 3.510 | South |
| University of Florida | Southeastern Conference | 3.510 | South |
| University of Minnesota, Twin Cities | Big Ten Conference | 3.510 | Midwest |
| Stanford University | Pacific-10 Conference | 3.505 | West |
| Towson University | Colonial Athletic Association | 3.501 | Mid Atlantic |
| Creighton University | Missouri Valley Conference | 3.500 | Midwest |
| University of Portland | West Coast Conference | 3.491 | West |
| Butler University | Horizon League | 3.486 | Great Lakes |
| Bucknell University | Patriot League | 3.480 | Mid Atlantic |
| Lafayette College | Patriot League | 3.480 | Mid Atlantic |
| University of Oregon | Pacific-10 Conference | 3.480 | West |
| University of Notre Dame | Big East Conference | 3.476 | Great Lakes |
| University of Cincinnati | Big East Conference | 3.474 | Great Lakes |
| Kansas State University | Big 12 Conference | 3.470 | Midwest |
| University of South Florida | Big East Conference | 3.470 | South |
| Northeastern University | Colonial Athletic Association | 3.467 | Northeast |
| Oregon State University | Pacific-10 Conference | 3.460 | West |
| Marquette University | Big East Conference | 3.453 | Great Lakes |
| Arizona State University | Pacific-10 Conference | 3.450 | West |
| Princeton University | Ivy Group | 3.450 | Mid Atlantic |
| University of Pennsylvania | Ivy Group | 3.450 | Mid Atlantic |
| Weber State University | Big Sky Conference | 3.450 | Mountain |
| University of Arkansas, Little Rock | Sun Belt Conference | 3.440 | South Central |
| Rice University | Conference USA | 3.433 | South Central |
| Georgia State University | Colonial Athletic Association | 3.430 | South |
| Harvard University | Ivy Group | 3.430 | Northeast |
| University of Tennessee, Knoxville | Southeastern Conference | 3.430 | South |
| Southeast Missouri State University | Ohio Valley Conference | 3.426 | Midwest |
| Drake University | Missouri Valley Conference | 3.425 | Midwest |
| Appalachian State University | Southern Conference | 3.423 | Southeast |
| Iowa State University | Big 12 Conference | 3.420 | Midwest |
| Colorado State University | Mountain West Conference | 3.419 | Mountain |
| University of Tennessee at Chattanooga | Southern Conference | 3.416 | South |
| University of Delaware | Colonial Athletic Association | 3.411 | Mid Atlantic |
| Brigham Young University | Mountain West Conference | 3.410 | Mountain |
| Gardner-Webb University | Big South Conference | 3.400 | Southeast |
| Siena College | Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference | 3.400 | Northeast |
| Southern Illinois University at Carbondale | Missouri Valley Conference | 3.400 | Midwest |
| University of Illinois, Champaign | Big Ten Conference | 3.400 | Midwest |
| University of Virginia | Atlantic Coast Conference | 3.400 | Southeast |
| University of California, Irvine | Big West Conference | 3.391 | West |
| Georgia Institute of Technology | Atlantic Coast Conference | 3.390 | South |
| North Dakota State University | The Summit League | 3.390 | Midwest |
| University of Colorado, Boulder | Big 12 Conference | 3.389 | Mountain |
| University at Buffalo, the State University of New York | Mid-American Conference | 3.386 | Northeast |
| Iona College | Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference | 3.380 | Northeast |
| Oakland University | The Summit League | 3.380 | Great Lakes |
| University of Kentucky | Southeastern Conference | 3.380 | Southeast |
| University of Wyoming | Mountain West Conference | 3.367 | Mountain |
| Brown University | Ivy Group | 3.360 | Northeast |
| East Carolina University | Conference USA | 3.360 | Southeast |
| Montana State University - Bozeman | Big Sky Conference | 3.360 | Mountain |
| Stony Brook University | America East Conference | 3.360 | Northeast |
| University of Georgia | Southeastern Conference | 3.360 | South |
| Lehigh University | Patriot League | 3.355 | Mid Atlantic |
| Idaho State University | Big Sky Conference | 3.350 | Mountain |
| University of Wisconsin, Madison | Big Ten Conference | 3.350 | Great Lakes |
| University of Vermont | America East Conference | 3.349 | Northeast |
| Sacred Heart University | Northeast Conference | 3.342 | Northeast |
| Wichita State University | Missouri Valley Conference | 3.340 | Midwest |
| Colgate University | Patriot League | 3.330 | Northeast |
| Miami University (Ohio) | Mid-American Conference | 3.330 | Great Lakes |
| Northwestern University | Big Ten Conference | 3.330 | Midwest |
| Troy University | Sun Belt Conference | 3.330 | South |
| University of Alabama at Birmingham | Conference USA | 3.330 | South |
| University of Richmond | Atlantic 10 Conference | 3.330 | Southeast |
| University of Iowa | Big Ten Conference | 3.328 | Midwest |
| Vanderbilt University | Southeastern Conference | 3.327 | South |
| Jacksonville University | Atlantic Sun Conference | 3.323 | South |
| Stephen F. Austin State University | Southland Conference | 3.323 | South Central |
| Central Connecticut State University | Northeast Conference | 3.322 | Northeast |
| Pennsylvania State University | Big Ten Conference | 3.320 | Mid Atlantic |
| University of New Mexico | Mountain West Conference | 3.320 | Mountain |
| Western Carolina University | Southern Conference | 3.318 | Southeast |
| Michigan State University | Big Ten Conference | 3.312 | Great Lakes |
| Purdue University | Big Ten Conference | 3.310 | Great Lakes |
| Texas Christian University | Mountain West Conference | 3.310 | South Central |
| Virginia Tech | Atlantic Coast Conference | 3.310 | Southeast |
| Samford University | Southern Conference | 3.301 | South |
| Santa Clara University | West Coast Conference | 3.300 | West |
| North Carolina State University | Atlantic Coast Conference | 3.293 | Southeast |
| Cornell University | Ivy Group | 3.290 | Northeast |
| Kent State University | Mid-American Conference | 3.290 | Great Lakes |
| Southern Methodist University | Conference USA | 3.290 | South Central |
| University of North Carolina, Wilmington | Colonial Athletic Association | 3.290 | Southeast |
| University of Washington | Pacific-10 Conference | 3.280 | West |
| Loyola College (Maryland) | Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference | 3.272 | Mid Atlantic |
| Wake Forest University | Atlantic Coast Conference | 3.272 | Southeast |
| Indiana State University | Missouri Valley Conference | 3.270 | Great Lakes |
| University of Missouri, Columbia | Big 12 Conference | 3.268 | Midwest |
| Long Beach State University | Big West Conference | 3.260 | West |
| Indiana University-Purdue University, Fort Wayne | The Summit League | 3.249 | Great Lakes |
| Columbia University | Ivy Group | 3.242 | Northeast |
| Loyola Marymount University | West Coast Conference | 3.240 | West |
| University of North Carolina, Charlotte | Atlantic 10 Conference | 3.240 | Southeast |
| Western Michigan University | Mid-American Conference | 3.231 | Great Lakes |
| Davidson College | Southern Conference | 3.230 | Southeast |
| Monmouth University | Northeast Conference | 3.230 | Mid Atlantic |
| University of Akron | Mid-American Conference | 3.230 | Great Lakes |
| Western Kentucky University | Sun Belt Conference | 3.230 | Southeast |
| Rider University | Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference | 3.228 | Mid Atlantic |
| The Ohio State University | Big Ten Conference | 3.220 | Great Lakes |
| Fairfield University | Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference | 3.218 | Northeast |
| College of William and Mary | Colonial Athletic Association | 3.210 | Southeast |
| University of New Hampshire | America East Conference | 3.190 | Northeast |
| University of San Francisco | West Coast Conference | 3.190 | West |
| Liberty University | Big South Conference | 3.189 | Southeast |
| Oklahoma State University | Big 12 Conference | 3.184 | Midwest |
| University of California, Davis | Big West Conference | 3.180 | West |
| La Salle University | Atlantic 10 Conference | 3.170 | Mid Atlantic |
| San Diego State University | Mountain West Conference | 3.170 | West |
| Duke University | Atlantic Coast Conference | 3.165 | Southeast |
| Northern Arizona University | Big Sky Conference | 3.160 | Mountain |
| University of Detroit Mercy | Horizon League | 3.155 | Great Lakes |
| University of Nevada, Las Vegas | Mountain West Conference | 3.150 | West |
| University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill | Atlantic Coast Conference | 3.130 | Southeast |
| Eastern Illinois University | Ohio Valley Conference | 3.120 | Midwest |
| University of Arkansas, Fayetteville | Southeastern Conference | 3.110 | South Central |
| Texas A&M University, College Station | Big 12 Conference | 3.104 | South Central |
| University of California, Santa Barbara | Big West Conference | 3.100 | West |
| Texas Tech University | Big 12 Conference | 3.080 | Mountain |
| Marshall University | Conference USA | 3.074 | Mid Atlantic |
| Providence College | Big East Conference | 3.063 | Northeast |
| Rutgers, State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick | Big East Conference | 3.063 | Mid Atlantic |
| College of Charleston (South Carolina) | Southern Conference | 3.047 | Southeast |
| Furman University | Southern Conference | 3.030 | Southeast |
