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Utah Cross Country Named USTFCCCA All-Academic Team
2/19/2016 12:00 AM | Cross Country
Feb. 19, 2016
NEW ORLEANS- The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) has selected the Utah cross country team has been selected as a Scholar Team of the Year, while Susannah Hurst Spencer earned All-Academic Individual honors.
The Utah women combined for a 3.236 grade point average.
"This is a well-deserved honor for our team," Utah head coach Kyle Kepler said. "They work hard to excel in the classroom and they do it while logging a lot of running miles as student-athletes throughout the entire calendar year. We ask a lot of these gals on a daily basis and they are always searching for ways to improve and be better. Those are qualities to be admired and awarded."
In Kepler's 11 years as head coach, the Utah women have earned All-Academic Team honors in cross country nine times, as well as five times in track.
The Utes were one of 205 women's teams across the country to earn All-Academic Team honors. Programs must have a cumulative GPA of 3.00 or greater to qualify for the award.
A redshirt senior, Hurst Spencer was also named as one of the 160 women across the country to receive All-Academic Individual honors. To receive such recognition requires the student athlete to have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25, and earn all-region honors. Hurst Spencer finished 20th at the regional meet and had three top-five finishes during the year. She was also an honorable mention Pac-12 All-Academic selection.
"It's great to see a fifth-year senior who has been a huge part of our program's continued growth and development be rewarded with an honor like this," Kepler said. "Susannah has always filled whatever role we've asked of her without hesitation. We will miss her next year, but I know she will be very successful in the next phase of her life due to her preparation here at the University of Utah."
The Utes qualified for the NCAA Championships as a team for the first time in program history, placing 26th overall.
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