March 6, 2009

Both men's and women's cross country teams were bestowed with the honor of being named Division I Scholar Teams of the Year for the 2008 running seasons. The awards were announced on Thursday by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.

The Flyers were one of 394 programs nation-wide to be recognized with the national award. Five members of the Atlantic 10 Conference also made the cut, with the Flyers being joined by LaSalle, Charlotte, Richmond and Saint Joseph's.

According to an unofficial count, the Flyer men rank 10th in the country in overall G.P.A., while the women's team posted the 19th best mark among the listed teams.

In total, over forty-five percent of all D-I institutions which sponsor women's cross country received the top honor. Seven of the top 10 teams and 14 of the top 20 teams at this year's NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships were also named USTFCCCA All-Academic Teams.

In her six years as the women's head coach, Ann Alyanak has never fielded a team that did not receive the distinction. Men's coach Rich Davis has also had 12 straight squads achieve the award.

The criteria for a team to be considered for the USTFCCCA All-Academic Team award requires the program to have competed and supplied a team score at an NCAA Regional Meet. The team must also have a minimum 3.00 team cumulative grade point average.