Gamecocks Honored by USTFCCCA for Academic Success
COLUMBIA, S.C. – Ten members of the University of South Carolina track and field program were honored as USTFCCCA All-Academic Team selections, the organization announced Monday. In addition, the men’s and women’s squads each earned All-Academic Team designation.
The Gamecock women’s program posted a GPA of 3.31 this past season, while the men’s program reached the mark of 3.14. This is the 11th consecutive season that the Gamecocks have earned USTFCCCA All-Academic laurels under head coach Curtis Frye. To qualify for the team distinction, a program must have a combined GPA of 3.0 or greater during the indoor and/or outdoor season.
Individually, Arinze Chance (Global Studies), Eric Favors (Criminology and Criminal Justice), Rivaldo Leacock (Criminology and Criminal Justice), Noah Walker (Information Sciences) and Armand Woodley (Media Arts) were honored by the USTFCCCA. Aliyah Abrams (Public Health), Wadeline Jonathas (Retailing), Amecia Pennamon (Finance), Heather Stone (Retailing) and Hailey Sweatman (Exercise Science) earned the distinction for the women’s program.
To qualify individually for the USTFCCCA All-Academic Track and Field Team, a student-athlete must have compiled a cumulative grade point average of 3.25 and have met either of the following athletic standards: for the indoor season, a student-athlete must have finished the regular season ranked in the national top-96 in an individual event or ranked in the national top-48 (collective listing) in a relay event on the official NCAA POP list provided by TFRRS.org; for the outdoor season, a student-athlete must have participated in any round of the NCAA Division I Championships (including preliminary rounds).
The Gamecocks were one of eight SEC programs to place both the men’s and women’s teams on the USTFCCCA list.
The USTFCCCA recognition caps another banner year in the classroom for the Gamecocks. Abrams was named SEC Women’s Outdoor Co-Scholar-Athlete of the Year, while Mueller and Chance were honored as a Google Cloud CoSIDA Academic All-Americans. Abrams is the first Gamecock track and field student-athlete to earn the Academic All-American and SEC Scholar Athelte of the Year honors in the same season. Mueller is just the fifth Gamecock to earn multiple CoSIDA Academic All-American distinctions, and just the third women to achieve that impressive mark.
The Gamecocks placed 33 veterans on the SEC Spring Academic Honor Roll and 10 newcomers on the conference’s First-Year Honor Roll.
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