Two individuals collect All-Academic awards
2020 USTFCCCA All-Academic team and individual awards
Pichie |
McNamee |
EASTON, Massachusetts, (February 7, 2020) –The Stonehill College men's cross country team has been recognized as a 2020 U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Division II All-Academic Team, as announced by the organization. In addition, two Stonehill student-athletes earned individual All-Academic awards from USTFCCCA.
In order to qualify for All-Academic Team awards, a squad must post a cumulative team grade point average of 3.00 or higher. Stonehill, which registered a 3.48 team GPA, was among the 148 women's teams and 120 men's teams in NCAA Division II to earn All-Academic Team status. The highest GPA on the men's side was a 3.75 by Gannon University and on the women's side Northwest Nazarene University led the way with a 3.85 GPA. This is the program's eighth-straight team award.
Individually, junior Jeff Pichie and sophomore Nickolas McNamee collected All-Academic Awards from the USTFCCCA. To be eligible for this honor, the student-athlete must have compiled a cumulative grade point average of 3.25 or higher and finish in the top-30 percent of their respective regional championship meet, among other qualifiers.
Pichie, a junior who has earned a 3.27 GPA while majoring in criminology saw four top-40 results in the seven meets he competed in this season. The Burriville, Rhode Island native toop home 37th at the NE10 Championhip and 46th at the East Region Championship. This is his first USTFCCCA All-Academic Team honor, as he earned his first All-East Region accolade last year as a sophomore. He has been named to the NE10 Academic Honor Roll with Academic Honors and the Athletic Director's Honor Roll.
McNamee, as a sophomore has earned a 3.72 GPA while majoring in history and minoring Arabic. This season he earned four top-30 results in the seven meets he competed in, including two career best finishes in the NE10 Championship and the New England Championship. The sophomore crossed the finish line 30th at the New England Championship and then followed that up with a 20th-place mark at the NE10 Championship earning his second cross country NE10 All-Conference honor. He then was named to the USTFCCCA Cross Country All-East Region team for the second time in his career after finishing eighth at the East Region Championship and then competed in his NCAA Championship. Most recently, he picked up his first NE10 Academic All-Conference honor and has previously been named to the NE10 Academic and Athletic Director's Honor Rolls.
Stonehill concluded the season with their 17th-straight NCAA Division II Cross Country Championship appearance in program history. To punch their ticket, the Skyhawks placed third at the NCAA Division II East Regional Championship as four earned All-East Region honors. Prior to the East Region Championship, the team finished second at the Northeast-10 Conference Championship to earn their ninth runner-up mark in program history, as four Skyhawks earned All-Conference honors.
For the latest on Stonehill Athletics, follow the Skyhawks via social media on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Fans can also download the Stonehill Skyhawks "Front Row" mobile app, powered by PrestoSports, on iTunes and the Android Market.
