Skyhawks among 80 teams recognized for academic excellence in Division II
EASTON, Mass. (February 14, 2012) – The Stonehill College men's cross country team has been named to the 2011 U.S Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic Cross Country Team List, it was announced earlier this week.
The Skyhawks capped off another successful season under head coach Karen Boen earning their fifth Northeast-10 Conference (NE-10) championship in program history, second in their last three seasons, while also making their ninth-straight trip to the NCAA National Championships.
"It is a difficult goal each year to be Academic All American as a team, especially when you are also focusing on being conference champions and making it to nationals," said Boen. Our teams are so well rounded and it is a testimony to their hard work athletically and their dedication to their academics. I see on a day-to-day basis the sacrifices they make socially to attain such high level of academic and athletic performance."
In addition to claiming All-Academic team honors, three student-athletes on the men's cross country team earned individual USTFCCCA All-Academic accolades last week. Seniors Corey Donahoe (Billerica, Mass./Billerica Memorial) and Stephen Polito (Worcester, Mass./Doherty Memorial) were named to the list alongside sophomore Trent Fontanella (Pelham, N.H./Bishop Guertin).
"When I recruit student athletes, I let them know that they are not coming to Stonehill just to run and that our expectations in the classroom are equally as high," said Boen. "It takes a special type of person to place their academic and athletic life before all other interests and distractions."
Since 2005, the men's cross country team has appeared on the USTFCCCA All-Academic list four times (2009, 2007, 2006, 2005). Based upon available data, the highest team grade point average (GPA) that any Stonehill men's cross country team has accumulated is a 3.65 (1998). This past season, the Skyhawks posted a 3.16 GPA bettering their last mark of 3.13 in 2009.
To qualify as a USTFCCCA All-Academic Cross Country Team, the team must have a cumulative team GPA of 3.00 or better and have compiled a score (finished at least five runners) at their respective NCAA regional championship.
- www.stonehillskyhawks.com -
