Horizon League Cross Country athletes recognized for effort in classroom
Feb. 28, 2008
NEW ORLEANS, LA -
Complete Release in PDF Format 
Four Horizon League cross country squads received academic honors on Monday (Feb. 25), as the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) named its All-Academic Teams for the 2007 season.
Two of the League's ten women's teams and two of the men's nine squads were named as recipients of the USTFCCCA All-Academic Team Award. The University of Detroit Mercy men, Wright State University women, and both squads from Butler University earned the honor.
In Division I, a total of 99 men's teams and 158 women's teams garnered recognition by maintaining composite grade-point averages of 3.00 or higher for the academic year, and by competing and posting a score at their respective NCAA Regional meets last fall.
The Butler women posted a 3.45 grade-point average during the 2006-07 school year while also winning the Horizon League title in both 2006 and 2007. The Bulldog men's team, League champions in both 2006 and 2007 as well, compiled a 3.42 GPA during the same period and was ranked sixth in GPA among the 99 men's teams honored. The Wright State women's team maintained a 3.21 clip in the classroom, while the Detroit men's squad posted a 3.34 mark.
Individually, two Butler athletes received a spot on the USTFCCCA All-Academic Cross Country team. To be eligible, athletes must maintain a GPA of 3.25 or higher, must have completed at least 24 semester credit hours through the Fall 2007 term, and have finished in the Top 15 places or Top 10 percent of the field at their respective NCAA Regional meets. Senior Genni Gardner and junior Andy Baker each met these requirements, as Gardner finished in ninth-place at the Regionals and boasts a 3.943 GPA, and Baker carries a 3.624 GPA and finished third at Regionals, eventually earning All-American honors with his 28th-place finish at the NCAA National Championship meet.
A complete list of all the All-Academic Team winners can be found on the USTFCCCA web site at http://ustfccca.cstv.com/.
