By Aaron Castrejon
BroncoAthletics.com
NEW ORLEANS - Four members of the Cal Poly Pomona men's and women's cross-country teams have won recognition for their performances in the classroom.
The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) named Scott McMichael and Matt Prentice from the men's team and Tiffany Dinh and Diana Zapata from the women's team as All-Academic Honorees for 2010.
In addition, the teams have been recognized as All-Academic Teams for their overall grade point average, with the men earning a 3.26 GPA and the women earning a 3.05. Each of the four Broncos has a GPA above 3.30.
"The teams and individuals have shown what it means to be a student athlete," CPP head coach Troy Johnson said. Johnson added that their honors exemplifies the program's mission - "Philosophy of Academic First, Competitive Attitude with Action, and Positive Social Life."
McMichael, a History major, ran 15:53 over 5,000 and 33.27 over 10,000 in track in 2010. At the 2010 NCAA West Region Cross Country Championships, he crossed the line in 33:49.6 for the 10,000-meter course.
Prentice, a Kinesiology major, earned first-team All-CCAA honors in 2010 by placing 9th at the meet in Whittier. This marks the second-straight year he has earned USTFCCCA All-Academic Honors. At the NCAA West Region Cross Country Championships, he finished with a time of 33:30.1.
Dinh, a Business-Finance and Real Estate Law major, proved to be the Broncos' top performer in 2010. She ran 21:37.4 at the CCAA Championships, 22:19.0 at the Stanford Invitational, 22:46.0 at the UCSD Triton Classic and 23:02.4 at the NCAA Regional.
Zapata, a Spanish major, finished with 25:17.0 at the Stanford Invitational over 6,000. She also finished with 23:48.3 over 6,000 at the UCSD Triton Classic, 22:36.7 at the CCAA Championships and 23:59.8 at the NCAA West Region Finals.
To be eligible for the USTFCCCA award, students must earn a 3.25 GPA or higher through their most recent semester or quarter, complete a 12-unit minimum during the semester of their cross-country competition and place in the top 50 percent at the most recent NCAA National Championships or the top 30 percent at the NCAA Regional Championships.
Teams must have a cumulative GPA of 3.00 or better and finished at least five runners in their NCAA regional championship.
