NEW ORLEANS - Transylvania men's and women's track and field teams are among the best academically in the nation, as they received All-Academic team honors from the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association, announced Tuesday.
The Pioneer men's team made the list with a 3.18 average GPA among the 93 team field, while the Pioneer women sported an impressive 3.49 GPA as one of 158 teams who earned the distinction. Transylvania's men's team was the only representive from the Heartland Conference, while Transylvania's women were joined only by Franklin.
"We are very proud of both the men's and women's teams for the academic honors they've earned," said Assistant Track & Field Coach Jakob Hester. "We want them to work as hard in the classroom as they do on the track and they really embody the Division III philosophy. I think the results of both have shown this year. The sky is the limit for these student-athletes and we're confident they will continue to excel at both in the future. "
The No. 1 spot on both the men's and women's lists was dominated by DIII Principia, whose women reported a cumulative team GPA of 3.75 – best in the nation regardless of Division or gender – ahead of Caltech's 3.67 and Pomona-Pitzer's 3.63. Principia's men were also the highest-achieving men's program in the nation, regardless of Division, with a cumulative 3.63. Amherst was second at 3.55, followed by Goucher at 3.53.
The MIAC was the lone Division III conference to reach double-digits in terms of team representation with 10 women, just ahead of the NESCAC with nine and the SCIAC and NEWMAC with eight each. On the men's side, the NESCAC topped the list with eight member institutions earning All-Academic Team nods, followed by the SCIAC, UAA and MIAC with seven apiece.
The full list of USTFCCCA All-Academic Teams can be found by clicking this link.