Mueller Honored as Google Cloud Academic All-American
June 21, 2018
GOOGLE CLOUD ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICA TEAM
COLUMBIA, S.C.. — University of South Carolina track & field and cross country junior Allie Mueller was honored as a Google Cloud Academic All-America selection as announced Thursday by CoSIDA. Mueller is the 13th Gamecock to earn the distinction since 1998.
“It’s always special when your top athletes are also your best students,” head coach Curtis Frye said. “Our program has always excelled in the classroom, and this season was no different. Our distance runners look to Allie as a leader, and she sets the tone not just for them but also for our entire program. We expect academic excellence from our student-athletes, and Allie delivers. I am very proud of her.”
“I can’t think of anyone I’ve coached who is more deserving of recognition than Allie,” South Carolina cross country coach Andrew Allden said. “Allie is a captain and a leader, and she quietly sets the tone for our entire program just by the way she conducts herself every day. Because of her heavy class load as a pharmacy major and an honors college student, she often times had to miss team practice and train on her own this past season, yet she still had her best season ever in both cross country and track. She’s a relentless competitor and a pleasure to coach, and I’m very excited for her to receive the national recognition that she deserves.”
Mueller was honored as a second-team Academic All-American on Thursday. She is one of just four Southeastern Conference student-athletes to make the 47-person team.
A Beaverton, Ore., native, Mueller is a five-time SEC Academic Honor Roll pick, and she’s helped Carolina’s cross country team earn three straight USTFCCCA All-Academic Team awards. She holds a 4.00 GPA as a pharmacy major.
Mueller stood out in 2017-18 as one of Carolina’s top performers in both cross country and track & field. In the fall, Mueller was Carolina’s top finisher at the Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational, and she crossed the line as the team’s second-highest finisher at the SEC Championships and the NCAA Southeast Regional meet.
Once the indoor season began, Mueller shifted to middle distances and had a banner season. She was Carolina’s top performer in the 800m and the mile, including an 11th-place result in the mile at the SEC Championships. Her mile PR of 4:52.45 ranks fourth in Carolina history.
Outdoors, Mueller posted Carolina’s top times in the 800m, 1500m and 3000m. She won the 800 at the USC Open and finished 16th in the 1500 at the SEC meet.
Mueller is Carolina’s first Google Cloud Academic All-American since 2016, when Erika Rucker was honored by CoSIDA. Former NCAA high jump champion Jeannelle Scheper (2014, 2015) was a two-time Academic All-America selection, as were Marvin Reitze (2011, 2012), Elliott Haynie (2009, 2010) and Jenny Lake (2004, 2005). Overall, the Gamecocks have combined for 17 Academic All-America selections as a program.
Mueller’s honor caps another extremely successful academic season for the Carolina track & field and cross country programs. The women’s team posted a 3.408 GPA over the spring semester, while the men’s team set a program record with a GPA of 3.334. In addition to Mueller’s individual honor, sprinter Ncincilili Titi was named SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year for indoor track & field, and the entire cross country program was honored as a USTFCCCA All-Academic Team.
