NEW ORLEANS, La. - The Saginaw Valley State University men's cross country team earned 2012 Division II All-Academic Cross Country recognition as announced today (Feb. 25) by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). The Cardinals recorded a 3.24 cumulative team GPA.
A total of 88 institutions represent 21 conferences that compose the group. The NSIC led the way with 10 teams earning All-Academic status while GLIAC followed on the conference honor roll with nine.
Sioux Falls reported the highest cumulative team GPA in the country for all men's teams in all three NCAA divisions through the fall 2012 semester at 3.732. Truman State followed at 3.61.
To qualify as a USTFCCCA All-Academic Cross Country Team, the team must have had a cumulative team GPA of 3.00 or better and have compiled a team score at their respective NCAA regional championship
The SVSU men's cross country team was individually represented by senior Eric Spitz (Holt, Mich.) and sophomore Tony Peel (Swartz Creek, Mich.) on the USTFCCCA 2012 Division II Cross Country All-Academic Team.
A total of 209 student-athletes represent the 99 institutions that compose the group. Tops among conferences was the PSAC that delivered 28, followed by the GLIAC's 25.
To qualify for the USTFCCCA All-Academic Track and Field Team in Division II, the student-athlete must have compiled a cumulative grade point average of 3.25 or greater through the most-recent semester, completed at least 12 credit hours in the semester of cross country competition, and placed in the top 50 percent at the most recent NCAA National Championships or in the top 30 percent at the NCAA Regional Championships.