Wolverine Women Honored with USTFCCCA All-Academic Awards
2/14/2019 2:11:00 PM | Women's Cross Country
NEW ORLEANS, La. -- Proving once more its prowess in both athletics and academics, the national fourth-place University of Michigan women's cross country team garnered U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Division I All-Academic team honors for the eighth consecutive season, the association announced on Thursday (Feb. 14).
Four women also were recognized with individual All-Academic selections, headlined by All-American Camille Davre. Joining her as honorees were Claire Borchers, Anne Forsyth and Hannah Meier.
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 met that standard for the eighth straight year, combining for a team GPA of 3.42.
Among teams that finished in the top 10 at the NCAA Championships -- where the Wolverines notched their sixth top-four showing in program history -- only two had higher cumulative team GPAs than did Michigan.
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 25 (or top 10 percent) in 2017.
Davre, a redshirt freshman who has yet to declare her major, made the most of her first season in the Maize and Blue. After missing all of 2017 with injury, she led the Wolverines to a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Championships with a 29th-place individual showing. She was the top freshman in the entire NCAA Championships field.
Finishing as the third-best freshman in the NCAA field was Forsyth, who logged a 46th-place effort in just her third collegiate race. Forsyth, a true freshman who has yet to declare her major, was voted the Big Ten Freshman of the Year after finishing eighth in her college debut at the Big Ten Championships.
Borchers, who has since graduated with a double-major in international studies and Spanish, saved her best cross country season for last. With no remaining eligibility in track and field beyond the 2018 cross country season, she ran to 79th at the NCAA Championships as Michigan's No. 5 runner.
Meier, a graduate student in the sport management program, had a breakthrough season of her own. Her postseason included second team All-Big Ten honors, All-Great Lakes Region honors and a 63rd-place finish at the NCAA Championships.
Michigan's quartet was among 156 female student-athletes who earned All-Academic individual honors from institutions across the country.
Prior to its fourth-place finish at the NCAA Cross Country Championships, U-M claimed its 13th NCAA Great Lakes Regional and its 12th Big Ten Conference title.
The Maize and Blue now owns 17 top-10 national finishes, 15 of which have come under Big Ten Coach of the Year and NCAA Great Lakes Regional Coach of the Year Mike McGuire.
Players Mentioned
