Aug. 4, 2011
TUCSON -
Eleven members of the University of Arizona Wildcat men's and women's track and field teams earned awards for their academic prowess this week. The U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches' Association (USTFCCCA) announced the men's and women's 2011 Division I All-Academic Track & Field team.
A record total of 663 student-athletes representing 172 institutions make up the women's group. The Big 12 Conference led all the women with 95 student athletes earning All-Academic honors. The Pac-10 followed with 69 and the Big East was third among the nation's conferences with 65 honorees.
For the Wildcat women, eight members of the team were recognized: high jumper Brigetta Barrett, distance runner Maggie Callahan, thrower Taylor Freeman, heptathlete Liana Fuentes, thrower Alyssa Hasslen, distance runner Elvin Kibet, distance runner Megan Meyer and 800-meter specialist Christina Rodgers.
Barrett was named the 2011 Indoor Field Scholar Athlete of the Year. Barrett was the 2011 NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Champion in the high jump. She went on to claim the U.S. Outdoor title in her signature event and will compete as a member of Team USA at the World University Games and the World Championships later this month.
Rodgers also re-set the Arizona school records in the 800 meters, indoors and out, en route to a runner-up finish in the event at the 2011 Pac-10 Championships. Of the eight women honored, two won conference titles and five earned USTFCCCA All-America honors on the track during the 2011 indoor and outdoor seasons.
A total of 420 student-athletes representing 153 institutions compose the men's group. The Big 12 Conference led all leagues again with 45 earning All-Academic honors, followed by the Big Ten and Pac-10 each receiving 41.
On the men's side, pole vaulter James Coffin, team captain and middle distance runner Jordan Mara and high jumper Edgar Rivera-Morales were honored. Both 2011 graduates, Coffin held a 3.326 GPA in mechanical engineering and Mara 3.726 GPA as a double major in marketing and entrepreneurship. Rivera-Morales will return in 2011-12 as a junior and holds a 3.262 GPA as an industrial engineering major.
Rivera-Morales was the 2011 Mount Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) Champion in the high jump and went on to earn two USTFCCCA All-America honors during the season.
To qualify for the USTFCCCA All-Academic Track and Field Team, the student-athlete must have compiled a cumulative grade point average of 3.25 and have met either of the following athletic standards: for the indoor season, a student-athlete must have finished the regular season ranked in the national top 96 in an individual event or ranked in the national top 48 (collective listing) in a relay event on the official NCAA POP list provided by TFRRS.org; for the outdoor season, a student-athlete must have participated in any round of the NCAA Division I Championships (including preliminary rounds).
