CLARION MEN’S AND WOMEN’S TEAMS EARN USTFCCA ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM HONORS

5 Eagle women, 4 men named to All-Academic Team

            The Clarion University men’s and women’s cross country teams recently earned United States Track and Field and Cross County Coaches Association (USTFCCA) All-Academic Team honors for the 2005 season.

            It is the 10^th straight year that at least one of Clarion’s team has earned the honor. The women’s team has achieved the honor every year since 1998, while the men have earned it in all but one year since 1998. Clarion earned an overall team award in 1996 and 1997.

            Helping the Golden Eagles earn the award are nine athletes – five women and four men – who were named to the All-Academic team. 

The women’s honorees are senior Katie Jarzab (Oil City/Oil City), sophomore Erin Richard (Erie/McDowell), junior Autumn Shaffer (Imperial/West Allegheny), senior Mary Smith (Portage/Forest Hills) and junior Tasha Wheatley (Saltsburg/Kiski Area).

            The Golden Eagle men’s honorees are sophomore Chris Clark (Hadley/Commodore Perry), senior Aaron Neely (Pittsburgh/North Hills), senior Matt Reinhold (Pittsburgh/Chartiers Valley) and junior Sean Williams (Austintown, Ohio/Austintown-Fitch).

            “I believe this shows we have very hard working and disciplined kids who strive for the best performance on and off the course,” Clarion’s first-year head coach Daniel Caulfield said. “Our whole philosophy at Clarion is bettering ourselves in every aspect of life not just athletics. That is what I preach to them and what coach (Pat) Mooney (Clarion’s cross county coach from 1994 to 2004) preached to them. The kids have proven they are well-rounded, smart individuals.”

            To earn the team award, a squad had to have a team GPA of 3.0 or higher with the team consisting of all of a school’s participants in the regional meet. The Golden Eagle women’s team GPA was 3.61, the best mark in the PSAC and tied for the 13^th best mark in the country. The men’s GPA was 3.43, the second best mark in the PSAC and tied for the eighth best nationally.

To achieve All-Academic honors, an athlete had to carry a 3.25 GPA or better. The five women tied for the third most All-Academic members in the country, while the four men tied for the fourth most nationally.         

            GOLDEN EAGLE NOTES – The Clarion men’s team finished seventh at PSAC’s, which tied for its best finish since 1982, and 8^th at Regionals… The Eagle women were seventh at PSAC’s and 10^th at Regionals… Clark earned All-PSAC honors by finishing 10^th, the first Clarion man to achieve that status since 1999 and the first Eagle man to finish in the Top 10 since 1986… 85 women’s teams including nine PSAC teams and 60 men’s teams including eight PSAC teams earned All-Academic Team honors.