NEW ORLEANS, La. -- Both the Bradley men's and women's cross country teams received all-academic team honors from the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) announced Friday.
To be eligible for the award, teams had to complete the 2013 Fall semester with a 3.00 cumulative grade point average. The Bradley women's team finished the fall with a 3.48 GPA for the fourth highest team grade point average in the Missouri Valley Conference. The Bradley men's cross country team's 3.31 grade point average was the third best among league members.
Bradley was one of 146 schools to have both their men's and women's teams recognized by the USTFCCCA. The Southern Miss women led the nation with a 3.79 GPA and the Chattanooga men boasted a 3.71 GPA for the best grade point average among men's teams.
In addition to the team honors, junior Sarah McMahon (Colfax, Wis./Colfax) and sophomore Kristen Busch (Waterloo, Ill./Freeburg) were both named USTFCCCA All-Academic award winners. Honorees must own a 3.25 cumulative grade point average or greater and have finished among the top 10 percent of competitors at an NCAA Regional.
An English major with a perfect 4.00 cumulative grade point average, McMahon earned all-region cross country honors after finishing 15th at the NCAA Regional in Ames, Iowa, back in November. She broke her own school record in the 6K at the regional at 20:52.9 as she turned in the best NCAA Regional finish by a Bradley individual since 2002.
Busch also captured all-region honors after finishing 17th at the NCAA Regional as the duo helped the Braves to a seventh-place showing. A health science major with a 3.39 cumulative grade point average, she joined McMahon as the only runners in school history to break 21 minutes in the 6K with a career-best 20:55.7 at the NCAA Regional.
"We are very proud of both teams and how they approach their academic endeavors here at Bradley,” said Bradley head coach Marc Burns. “The expectation in the locker rooms is to take care of business in the classroom. We are very fortunate here to have some outstanding support for our student-athletes. Jen Jones and Mackenzie Maddock do an amazing job with our student athletes. The team supports each other too as many are in the same majors. Sarah and Kristen put themselves in elite company by being named to the all academic team. We continue to be impressed with our team both on and off the track."
The Bradley women's team had 31 individuals post a 3.0 semester grade point average or better to earn a spot on the Fall 2013 Bradley University Athletic Director's Honor Roll. The men's cross country team had 10 members on the Bradley Athletic Director's Honor Roll following the Fall semester.
