Wolverines, Handler Earn USTFCCCA All-Academic Honors
2/11/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Cross Country
NEW ORLEANS, La. -- The University of Michigan women's cross country team secured U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Division I All-Academic team honors for the fourth consecutive year, while senior co-captain Brook Handler was also recognized with individual All-Academic recognition, the association announced Wednesday (Feb. 11).
To qualify as a USTFCCCA All-Academic Cross Country Team, the team must have had a cumulative team grade-point average of 3.00 or better and have started at least five runners at its respective NCAA regional championship. The Wolverines earned the award for the fourth straight season, combining for a team GPA of 3.18. Michigan State, the 2014 national champion, was selected as the USTFCCCA NCAA Division I Women's Scholar Team of the Year.
Handler, who will graduate this spring with a degree in chemical engineering, earned a spot on the list for the third consecutive season. As a key component of the 2014 team, Handler finished among the Maize and Blue's top three in each race in which the team's varsity squad competed this season. She earned second-team All-Big Ten honors after her 10th place finish at the conference championships, helping to extend the team's streak of top-three finishes at the Big Ten Championships to five consecutive seasons.
When U-M's top two runners went down with injuries during the championships phase of the season, it was Handler who stepped up to lead the pack. After her performance in the Big Ten race, she guided U-M to fourth-place finish in the NCAA Great Lakes Regional on the strength of her seventh-place finish, giving the Wolverines a top-four finish in 22 of 23 seasons under head coach Mike McGuire.
To qualify for the All-Academic award, a student-athlete must have compiled a cumulative grade-point average of 3.25 or better and have either earned USTFCCCA All-America status or finished in the NCAA region's top 15 (or top 10 percent) in 2014.
The Wolverine captain was joined by 152 other female student-athletes from institutions across the country. Of the 40 women to earn All-America honors on the course, 31 were All-Academic as well. Iona's Kate Avery -- the national champion -- was named the USTFCCCA Division I Cross Country Women's Scholar Athlete of the Year.
Communications Contact: Chad Shepard (734) 764-4423
Players Mentioned
