CROSS COUNTRY

The awards continue to pile up for junior Hannah Stoffel and the rest of the Huntington University cross country program as announced by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) yesterday.

The USTFCCCA announced its 2019 Cross Country NAIA Academic Awards with Stoffel, who carries a 3.948 GPA, topping the list as the Scholar Athlete of the Year. The honor caps off her dream season. The Huntington native and IU transfer was the NAIA Cross Country National Champion having clocked in at 17:18.4, nearly 16 seconds ahead of her closest competitor.

Stoffel, along with her six teammates who competed at nationals, were also tabbed an All-Academic Team by boasting a cumulative team GPA of 3.75. It proved the fourth highest GPA of the 52 teams to receive this accolade.

Individually, all seven of the HU harriers earned All-Academic badges. To be selected for this distinction, student athletes must carry a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25 on a 4.0 scale and qualify for the national championship meet. Members of HU’s squad included Isabel Hunter, Erin Manchess, Mara McFarland, Molly Mitchell, Saige Norris, Hannah Stoffel and Olivia Von Gunten.

On the men’s side, the Foresters were among the 44 teams to be deemed an All-Academic Team. The seven runners collectively claimed a team GPA of 3.31, well above the minimum 3.0 standard needed to be included on this exclusive list.

Four individuals on Johnson’s crew also received All-Academic honors. Nick Childs, Aaron Hendryx, Matthew Hyter and Kent Yoder were four of the 118 student athletes who were recognized for their success in the classroom.