Completed Event: Cross Country versus NCAA Championships on November 22, 2025 , , 17th / 32
Final Score
Cross Country
17th / 32
vs NCAA Championships
The University of Utah Athletics
Utah Cross Country Earns National Academic Recognition
2/22/2011 12:00 AM | Cross Country
Complete Release in PDF Format 
Feb. 22, 2011
SALT LAKE CITY- The University of Utah women's cross country team earned 2010 Division l All-Academic Cross Country status the U.S Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association, it was announced Wednesday.
"I am extremely proud of our team and Amanda for their effort as students," said Utah head coach Kyle Kepler. "They work hard at being the best students they can be."
The Mountain West Conference had three of its nine programs receive All-Academic honors. Currently, the Utes rank second in the MWC with a cumulative team GPA of 3.06. This marks the third time in the previous four years that the Utes have earned All-Academic honors. In 2008, Utah ranked 13th in the nation with a team GPA of 3.62. In 2009, the Utes had a combined GPA of 3.656, which ranked them sixth in the country.
For a school to be considered for USTFCCA All-Academic Cross Country team, they must obtain a cumulative team GPA of 3.00 or better and have started at least five runners at their NCAA regional championship.
"From a team standpoint this is an honor that this group knows is part of our team tradition," commented Kepler. "This program continues to move forward and these types of honors are now becoming an expectation rather than the exception." Individually, sophomore Amanda Mergaert was the only female athlete from the MWC to earn All-Academic Status. Mergaert holds a cumulative GPA of 3.48, and finished ninth overall at the NCAA Cross Country Mountain Region Championships.
"The individual honor for Amanda is special because of the requirements in the classroom and as a runner that are necessary to obtain it," said Kepler. To qualify for the USTFCCCA All-Academic Track and Field Team, the student-athlete must have compiled a cumulative grade point average of 3.25 and have either earned USTFCCCA All-America status or finished in the NCAA region's top 15 (or top 10 percent) in 2010.
Players Mentioned
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