LOGAN —Fifteen members of the Utah State track and field programs were honored by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association for their performance both athletically and academically during the 2018-19 season, it was announced Thursday morning.

Combining their accomplishments both in the classroom and on the field of competition during the recently completed academic year, these 15 Aggies were part of a group of 1,485 men and women who earned Division I All-Academic accolades from the coaches association.

Additionally, All-Academic Team honors for the 2019 NCAA Division I Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field seasons were announced by the coaches association. Both of Utah State's men's and women's programs were recognized.

A total of 366 Division I teams were honored for their academics, including 227 on the women's side and 139 men's programs. The Aggie women had a cumulative GPA of 3.53, while the men carried a 3.28.

The highest cumulative GPA of any team belonged to South Dakota State's women's program. The Jackrabbits maintained a 3.684 GPA under head coach Rod DeHaven. On the men's side, Harvard amassed a 3.55 GPA.

The Scholar Teams of the Year went to Florida's men's team and Arkansas' women's program. In order to be in contention for the Scholar Team of the Year, a program must finish highly at the respective national championship meet and have at least a cumulative GPA of 3.00.

The nine individuals honored by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association on the women's side for the Aggies included seniors Jennifer Christensen, Alyssa Hirschi-Swenson, Shannon Maloney, Megan Ryan, Cierra Simmons-Mecham, redshirt junior Alyssa Snyder, juniors Maia Garren, Michala Zilkey, and sophomore Talie Bonds. They were part of 902 women lauded by the USTFCCCA.

Simmons-Mecham and Garren have no earned the honor two times in their careers.

Seniors Adam Hendrickson and Sam Nelson, sophomores Josh Barclay and Stokton Smith, and freshmen Chandler Obray and Roman Ruiz were honored on the men's side for Utah State. A total of 583 men from across the country were singled out.

Hendrickson and Nelson have now earned All-Academic accolades on two separate occasions.

Wisconsin's Morgan McDonald, North Dakota State's Payton Otterdahl, BYU's Clayton Young and Texas Tech's Eric Kicinski were tabbed the Male Scholar Athletes of the Year in Division I track & field by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.

Arkansas' Lexi Jacobus and Tori Hoggard, Wisconsin's Alicia Monson and Boise State's Allie Ostrander were selected as the Female Scholar Athletes of the Year in Division I track and field by the coaches association.

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Scholar Athletes of the Year were selected as the highest finishing performers at the NCAA Division I Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field Championships who achieved All-Academic status. Those athletes who won individual NCAA titles ranked higher in the tie-breaking process and cumulative GPA is weighed as the final advantage.

Separate awards are given to track athletes and field athletes for the indoor and outdoor seasons, hence the four categories.

To qualify for the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association All-Academic Track & Field Team, a student-athlete must have compiled a cumulative GPA of 3.25 and have met at least one of the following athletic standards:

For the indoor season, they must have finished the regular season ranked in the national top 96 in an individual event or ranked in the top 48 (collective listing) in a relay event on the official NCAA POP list provided by TFRRS.org. For the outdoor season, they must have participated in any round of the NCAA Division I Championships, including preliminary rounds.

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