March 7, 2009
IOWA CITY, IA – The University of Iowa men and women’s cross country teams were recently named to the 2008 U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) all-academic team. Hawkeye junior Jesse Luciano also received individual all-academic honors.
The Iowa women’s team, who earned the honor for the sixth-straight season, had a combined GPA of 3.328 and is one of 162 teams to earn the award. The men’s team earned a team grade point average of 3.285 and is one of 110 teams to earn the award. For a team to be considered for the USTFCCCA all-academic team award, they must have competed and compiled a team score at an NCAA Regional Meet. The team must also have a minimum 3.00 team cumulative grade point average.
Luciano is one of 40 men’s cross country student-athletes to earn USTFCCCA all-academic honors. An accounting major from Villa Park, IL, he placed 15th at the NCAA Midwest Regional (31:32.55) and 43rd at the NCAA Championships (30:17.8). He has been named to the team for the second straight year. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must carry a minimum 3.25 cumulative grade point average and must finish in the top 15 (or top 10%) of the field at their respective NCAA regional meet or attain all-American status at the NCAA Championships.
“Each year we begin the season with a goal to race at the NCAA Championships and to earn USTFCCCA all-academic team honors,” explained Head Women’s Coach Layne Anderson “We are excited to have earned this honor for the sixth consecutive year. When coupled with our 24th-place finish at NCAA Championships, we look back on the 2008 cross country season as another outstanding year for our program.”
“This is such a great accomplishment for our team,” said Head Men’s Coach Larry Wieczorek. “One of our goals each season is for our student-athletes to have academic excellence, as well as athletic excellence. It is reassuring for me to see our team perform well at the national level in the classroom and on the cross country course.”