USU Men's and Women's Track & Field Teams Earn USTFCCCA Academic Honors

Women's team had third-highest GPA in country; individually, three men, four women recognized

Utah State University’s men's women's track teams were recognized for their academic excellence as both received United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Academic Awards. The women had the third-best overall grade-point average in the country, while the men were tied for 16th.

 

With a team GPA of 3.500, the Aggie women improved a spot from last season's number four spot, while the men were just shy of qualification last year but improved to a 3.140 this season. Both the USU squads were the highest-ranked amongst Western Athletic Conference teams.

 

The USTFCCCA honors individuals and teams for their academic and athletic accomplishments during the indoor and outdoor track seasons. This year, 117 Division I women's teams and 48 men's teams were honored for having a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 or higher. West Virginia had the top spot amongst the women with a 3.580 team GPA while Lipscomb and Yale tied for high honors of the men with a 3.320 team GPA.

 

Individually, Utah State had a total of seven student-athletes honored, with three men and four women being recognized. On the men's side, senior Dasheek Akwenye (Windhoek, Nambia), junior Blake Hadfield (Millville, Utah) and sophomore Steven Strickland (Orem, Utah) were honored while junior Krista Larson (Kaysville, Utah), senior Stacie Lifferth-Dorius (Layton, Utah), sophomore Erin Stratton (Aurora, Colo.) and junior Katie Thatcher (Paradise, Utah) garnered recognition for the women. Lifferth-Dorius is a repeat award honoree after earning recognition last year, while everyone else are receiving it for the first time.

 

To qualify for the USTFCCCA All-Academic Track and Field Team, an athlete must have a cumulative grade-point average of 3.25 or higher and must have met the NCAA Division I regional or national qualifying standard in his/her event.