Montana State men's and women's cross country teams were named to the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association's NCAA Division I All-Academic Team list released Monday. MSU's women's team had a 3.51 team grade point average while the men's team had a GPA of 3.25.
Alabama leads All-Academic Team honorees with a cumulative team GPA of 3.86. Missouri State is next on the list at a 3.81 GPA. A record total of 176 Division I women's programs received USTFCCCA All-Academic Team honors, up from 2008's total of 162. From the Big Sky Conference, four other schools had both men's and women's teams honored: Idaho State, Northern Arizona, University of Montana and Weber State.
“This is quite an honor for both these teams when you consider the qualifications,” head coach Dale Kennedy said. “In order to be eligible, a team must have competed and compiled a team score at an NCAA Regional meet and have a minimum grade point average of 3.0.”
This marks the fourth consecutive year the men's team has received the award and the 14th consecutive award for the women.