Flanagan Named Scholar Athlete of the Year by USTFCCCA
7/26/2018 10:00:00 AM | Men's Track & Field
NEW ORLEANS, La. -- NCAA champion Ben Flanagan of the University of Michigan men's track and field team was honored as one of four national Division I Scholar Athletes of the Year on Thursday (July 26) by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
Flanagan was chief among the five Wolverine men who were announced as having earned All-Academic distinctions from the USTFCCCA, all of whom helped Michigan to an additional team All-Academic honor with a cumulative 3.06 grade-point average under head coaches Jerry Clayton and James Henry.
This marks the second time in the last three years Michigan has earned a Scholar Athlete of the Year award, the third year in a row the Wolverines have earned team All-Academic honors, and the 11th consecutive year multiple Michigan men have been honored with individual All-Academic plaudits.
For his efforts both on the track as the national 10,000-meter champion and in the classroom -- he is a graduate student with a 3.90 GPA pursuing a master of social work degree in interpersonal practice and mental health -- Flanagan was honored by the coaches association as the Scholar Athlete of the Year among all outdoor track-event athletes.
He earned the honor by virtue of having the highest GPA among all event champions at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in June.
His award marks the second time in the past three years a Michigan man has claimed the honor, following in the footsteps of former teammate Mason Ferlic, who earned it after winning the 3,000-meter steeplechase in 2016.
Having now completed his college eligibility, Flanagan made a name for himself nationally after upsetting the field at the NCAA Championships to take the 10,000-meters title in a sprint to the finish, despite entering the race seeded No. 23 of 24 runners. Leading up to his national title he claimed the Big Ten crown in the same event, and went on to take a narrow third at the Canadian Championships over 5,000 meters.
This award is just the latest in a long string of accolades for the Canadian, as he was also awarded an NCAA postgraduate scholarship, was named Michigan's Male Athlete of the Year and was Michigan's nominee for the Big Ten Outstanding Sportsmanship Award.
Joining him as All-Academic honorees were fellow Big Ten champions Aaron Baumgarten and Taylor McLaughlin, along with Connor Mora and Matt Plowman.
Baumgarten was an upset winner over 5,000 meters at the outdoor championships, while McLaughlin reclaimed the 400-meter hurdles title he last won in 2016.
Mora earned this track-specific award for the fourth time in his career, while Flanagan and Baumgarten are three-time track honorees. This is McLaughlin's second time earning the honor, while Plowman is a first-time honoree.
Flanagan has also earned an additional three USTFCCCA All-Academic awards for cross country. Baumgarten has two such awards to his name, and Mora has one.
To qualify for the USTFCCCA All-Academic Track and Field Team, a student-athlete must have compiled a cumulative GPA of 3.25 or better and have met one of two 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).
Nationally, 624 men from 164 institutions earned the individual honor. Michigan was one of 140 programs nationally to earn team All-Academic honors, and one of seven from the Big Ten.
USTFCCCA Scholar Athlete of the Year (Outdoor Track Athlete)
Ben Flanagan, Sr., Interpersonal Practice/Mental Health MSW
USTFCCCA All-Academic Individuals
Aaron Baumgarten, Sr, Mechanical Engineering MSE
Ben Flanagan, Sr., Interpersonal Practice/Mental Health MSW
Taylor McLaughlin, Jr., Mechanical Engineering
Connor Mora, Sr., Sport Management
Matt Plowman, Jr., Industrial and Operational Engineering
USTFCCCA All-Academic Team
University of Michigan men's track and field, cumulative 3.06 team GPA
Players Mentioned
