January 27, 2022

Both cross country squads earn USTFCCCA All-Academic honors

NEW ORLEANS, La. - The Carson-Newman men's and women's cross country teams earned All-Academic honors from the USTFCCCA announced on Thursday, Jan. 27.

In order to qualify for All-Academic distinction, teams must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, including the most recent grading period and compile a team score at their respective regional championship meet, among other qualifiers.

The men's cross country team qualified with a cumulative GPA of 3.24. The mark was higher than six other region programs, including SAC foes Wingate and Lenoir-Rhyne. It is the fourth straight year that the men's team has been named an All-Academic Team.

The men's team finished 18th at the NCAA Southeast regional, their fifth straight top-20 finish at the event. The Eagles had three runners compete in their first-ever collegiate 10K run at the event, including Raymond Brugmans who led the team with an 83rd place finish.

Overall, there were 98 different programs who were named All-Academic Teams for their efforts during the 2021 season. University of the Sciences finished with the highest cumulative GPA at 3.89. Grand Valley State was named the Men's Scholar Team of the Year.

The women's cross country squad qualified as an All-Academic Team for the fourth straight year with a 3.56 cumulative GPA. The mark ranks higher than 14 regional programs and SAC foes Wingate, Newberry, Tusculum and Catawba.

The women finished the season with their highest finish at the NCAA Southeast Regional in over a decade with a seventh place finish. Rachel Strayer earned All-Region honors for the second year in a row with an 18th place finish. The team also broke the program record for fastest time in a 6K race with a total time of 1:57:53.

Overall, there were 111 different women's programs named All-Academic Teams. Wayne State finished with the highest GPA at 3.86. Adams State was named the Women's Scholar Team of the Year.

Individually, four women's cross country team members were named to the USTFCCCA All-Academic Team as Madison Dockery, Katie Smock, Rachel Strayer and Imke Van Gog all earned the honors.

In order to qualify for All-Academic distinction, student athletes must have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25 on a 4.0 scale and finish in the top-30 percent of their respective regional championship meet, among other qualifiers.

This is the third straight year that Strayer has won the award, the only Carson-Newman runner to do so. Luke Greer won two straight honors on the men's side from 2017-18.

The senior from Murfreesboro became the first women's cross country runner from Carson-Newman to compete at the NCAA national championships since 2008 when she competed at the event in 2018. In every race Strayer competed in during her career, she was the first Eagle to cross the finish line, winning the event championship at the 2019 Lenoir-Rhyne Invitational. Strayer currently holds the school record for the fastest time in the women's 5K and 6K runs. Strayer is majoring in Exercise Science

Dockery earned her first All-Academic honor while pursuing her degree in nursing. The Newport native finished fifth in her first collegiate race at the 2021 Tusculum Open. Dockery would reset her personal best twice in the 5K in 2021 and set her new personal best in the 6K at the 2021 NCAA Southeast Regional.

Katie Smock earned All-Academic honors while pursuing her degree in exercise science. A transfer from Tusculum, the Kodak, Tenn. native cemented herself as the no. two runner for the Eagles this season, becoming the second Eagle to cross the finish line at both the SAC Cross Country Championships and the NCAA Southeast Regional. Smock finished 41st at the regional race, surpassing her personal best in the 6K by almost 30 seconds.

Imke Van Gog earned her All-Academic honors while pursuing her degree in Elementary Education. The lone true freshman on the team, the Netherlands native set a scoring mark in every race she competed in during the 2021 season. Van Gog finished her freshman campaign with a 51st place finish at the NCAA Southeast Regionals and set a new personal best in the 6K by over 50 seconds.

The four individual honors are the most to be named to a USTFCCCA All-Academic Team in program history. The awards date back to 2010.

Overall, there were 357 women from 104 different institutions who were named All-Academic Athletes for their efforts during the 2021 season. Hannah Becker of Grand Valley State was named the Women's Scholar Athlete of the Year for the 2021 NCAA Division II Cross Country season.