Athletics News

Four Camel Cross Country Runners Garner Academic All-America Honors Camel Men and Women Receive Team Academic Award from USTFCCCA

Caitrin Herdic ´09

March 05, 2008

NEW LONDON, Conn. --The Connecticut College's men's and women's Cross Country teams have earned NCAA Division III All-Academic honors for the 2007 season. The United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) honors teams with a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.1. The Camel women's team ranked 23rd in the nation with a cumulative GPA of 3.52. The men´s team was 40th in the country with a mean GPA of 3.33. The USTFCCCA honored 99 men's programs and 141 women's programs this season. In addition to the team academic accolades, each Connecticut College team had student-athletes earn Academic All-America honors. To be recognized individually, student-athletes must maintain a GPA of 3.5 or greater and finish in the top 25% at the NCAA regional championship.

Seniors Keith Drake (Norwich, Vt.) and Brendan Curran (Lynnfield, Mass.) were recognized as 2007 individual honorees for head coach Jim Butler´s program. Jill Sergi (Franklin, Mass.) and Caitrin Herdic (Champlain, N.Y.) earned individual recognition for Ned Bishop´s Camels. Sergi was honored for the third consecutive year while Drake received the individual honor for the second time in his prolific career for the Camels.

Head coach Ned Bishop was pleased in his team´s performance in the classroom, receiving national recognition for the 16th consecutive year.

"I am extremely proud of Jill and Caitrin," Bishop stated. "They are obviously exceptional students and both have improved their running a great deal each year. This is Jill's third straight All-Academic award and Caitrin's first. Both have made major contributions to our team success during their first three years in the program, and we are fortunate to have them leading the way as we look ahead to next fall. Our team continues to make me very proud. They all work very hard to be successful students and runners and this is a great reward for their efforts."

Butler´s teams have been honored in 14 of the 16 years that the USTFCCCA Academic Award has been given.

"I am very proud of our team earning the team All-Academic award, and for Keith and Brendan being named to the individual All-Academic team," Butler stated. "This is a goal we discuss at the outset of the year, and one that the student-athletes on our team work hard to achieve."

Drake garnered All-New England honors with a 26th place finish in the New England Division III Championship November 10, posting a time of 25:26 for the Camels. Curran logged a time of 26:09, placing 73rd at the regional championship.

Junior Jill Sergi garnered All-New England honors at the regional championship in Waterford, placing 32nd with a time of 22:40. Herdic (Champlain, N.Y.) finished 53rd overall with a time of 23:07.

The Complete USTFCCCA Release is available online at the USTFCCCA web site.

For more information contact: William Tomasian (860) 439-2501; william.tomasian@conncoll.edu