Athletes and Team Named to USTFCCCA All-Academic Team

(NEW ORLEANS, La.) – The U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) announced the men's 2012 Division III All-Academic Track & Field Teams and Carnegie Mellon University was included on the list. A total of 74 institutions earned the distinction as a result of a cumulative team GPA of 3.1 or better.

The men's track and field team achieved a team GPA of 3.33 for the 2011-2012 school year to earn a place on the All-Academic team. In addition to the team honor, the Tartans placed two individual athletes, sophomore Josh Newby (Palo Alto, Calif./Palo Alto) and freshman Thomas Vandenberg (Mamaroneck, N.Y./Mamaroneck), on the 2012 Division III All-Academic Track & Field team. A total of 226 student-athletes representing 84 institutions compose the group.

To qualify for the USTFCCCA All-Academic Track and Field Team, the student-athlete must have compiled a cumulative grade point average of 3.30 and have competed in an NCAA Indoor or Outdoor Championship or finished in the regular season ranked in the national top 35 in an individual event or ranked in the national top 25 (collective listing) in a relay event.

Newby is a design major with a 3.37 GPA who finished the regular season ranked 24th in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. During the season, the sophomore set a new University Athletic Association (UAA) record in the steeplechase when he won the event in a time of 9:10.15 at the championships. He was named the UAA Most Outstanding Performer in the running events for winning both the steeplechase and the 5,000-meter run at the UAA meet.

Vandenberg is studying mechanical engineering and finished the year with a 3.51 GPA. The freshman was top on the team in the 800-meter run during the indoor season and top on the team in the 400-meter dash and 800-meter run during the outdoor season. He qualified for the academic award by finishing the regular season ranked 28th in the 800-meter run for both the indoor and outdoor seasons.