NEW ORLEANS (pacathletics.org)--A combined 12 Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) men's and women's track and field programs were recently honored by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) for outstanding success in the classroom. Five PAC schools had both programs recognized as USTFCCCA NCAA Division III All-Academic Teams while an additional two schools saw their women’s programs honored.

The men’s and women’s programs at Franciscan University, Geneva College, Saint Vincent College, Washington & Jefferson College and Waynesburg Univeresity were recognized, while the women’s programs at Bethany College and Thiel College were honored.

Overall, there were 215 women's programs and 162 men's programs from Division III honored for their academic excellence.

The USTFCCCA also announced its All-Academic Athletes for the 2021 track and field season. Recent Bethany graduate Riley Meyers (DuBois, Pa. | DuBois Central Catholic), Franciscan rising senior Alison Bryant (Arlington, Texas | Nolan Catholic) and Geneva rising senior Olivia Younger (McDonald, Pa. | West Allegheny) were honored on the women's side, while Franciscan graduate Liam Galligan (Sprinfield, Pa. | Galligan Academy) and recent Geneva graduate Stephen Nelson (Orono, Maine | Orono) were recognized on the men's side. 

There were over 650 women and 450 men named All-Academic Athletes in Division III this year. 

Below is the criteria for being named a USTFCCCA NCAA All-Academic Team:
• Cumulative team GPA (not 2020-21 academic year, not semester) of all student-athletes who used a season of eligibility must be at least a 3.1 on a 4.0 scale through the most recent semester/quarter, computed by the following method:
1. Total the cumulative number of semester hours or quarter hours earned for all student-athletes who used a season of eligibility, including the most recent grading period;
2. Total the cumulative number of quality points (GPA multiplied by the number of credit hours) earned by all student-athletes who used a season of eligibility, including the most recent grading period;
3. Divide the cumulative number of quality points earned by the cumulative number of semester or quarter hours earned.
4. Institutions utilizing a different GPA scale than 4.0 then must convert the GPA to a 4.0 scale using the standard conversion method [GPA/Scale x 4.0]. Data must be certifiable by the institution's registrar.
• Graduate students must take all undergraduate plus graduate coursework into account.
 

2021 NCAA Division III Women's Track & Field All-Academic Teams
School	Head coach	Cumulative GPA
Bethany	Andy Upton	3.48
Franciscan	Vince Oliver	3.4107
Geneva	Phil Thompson	3.5
Saint Vincent	Kevin Wanichko	3.797
Thiel	Will Mills	3.4
W&J	Derek Workman	3.4
Waynesburg	Chris Hardie	3.63

 

2021 NCAA Division III Men’s Track & Field All-Academic Teams
School	Head coach	Cumulative GPA
Franciscan	Vince Oliver	3.5188
Geneva	Phil Thompson	3.11
Saint Vincent	Kevin Wanichko	3.433
W&J	Derek Workman	3.47
Waynesburg	Chris Hardie	3.3

Below is the criteria for being named a USTFCCCA NCAA All-Academic Athlete:
• Minimum cumulative grade-point average of 3.30 on a 4.0 scale through the most recently completed grading period. Institutions utilizing a different GPA scale must convert the GPA to a 4.0 scale using the standard conversion method [GPA/Scale x 4.0]. Data must be certifiable by the institution’s registrar.
• Graduate students must take all undergraduate plus graduate coursework into account.
• Meet one of the following athletic criteria:
1. Must have finished the indoor season among the top 50 individuals as listed on the descending order lists on TFRRS. In addition, any athletes not among the top 50, but who participated at the Indoor or Outdoor National Championships, are eligible
2.. Must have competed as a member of one of the top 35 relay teams as listed on the indoor descending order list on TFRRS. In addition, any athletes not among the top 35 relay teams, but who particpated in the relay at the Indoor or Outdoor National Championships, are eligible. Finally, any competing relay team member on an expanded descending order list to include 35 institutions (1 relay team per institution) is eligible.
 

2021 NCAA Division III Track & Field USTFCCCA Women's All-Academic Athletes
Name	School	Yr.	Major	Hometown | High School
Riley Meyers	Bethany	Sr.	Pre-Law, Political Science	DuBois, Pa. | DuBois Central Catholic
Alison Bryant	Franciscan	Jr.	Theology, Catechetics	Arlington, Texas |Nolan Central
Olivia Younger	Geneva	Jr.	Psychology	McDonald, Pa. | West Allegheny

 

2021 NCAA Division III Track & Field USTFCCCA Men's All-Academic Athletes
Name	School	Yr.	Major	Hometown | High School
Liam Galligan	Franciscan	Sr.	Management	Springfield, Pa. | Galligan Academy
Stephen Nelson	Geneva	Sr.	Middle School Education	Orono, Maine | Orono