Cross country teams earn all-academic recognition

NEW ORLEANS – The Simpson men's and women's cross country teams earned recognition as USTFCCCA NCAA Division III All-Academic Teams, as announced by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.

Simpson is one of four schools in the Iowa Conference to have both its men's and women's teams recognized. A total of 11 league schools earned all-academic team status.

The Simpson men posted the highest team cumulative GPA of any Iowa Conference school at 3.31. The women were third with a GPA of 3.45.

NCAA women's champion Wisconsin-Eau Claire (3.49 team GPA) and men's runner-up Williams (3.39 GPA) were named the 2009 NCAA Division III USTFCCCA Cross Country Scholar Teams of the Year.

Whitworth University had the highest overall team grade point average (3.73) among women's programs, while Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute had the highest overall team grade point average (3.68) among men's programs. A total of 153 Division III women's programs and 110 men's programs received the USTFCCCA's All-Academic Team honors this year.

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 3.10 team cumulative grade point average.