July 21, 2015

NEW ORLEANS, LA. – The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) announced its academic honors for the 2015 indoor and outdoor track seasons Friday afternoon. The South Carolina men’s and women’s programs earned All-Academic team distinction, and seven individuals received separate recognition.

This marks the seventh straight year that both the men and women earned the honor for Carolina, and it joins only Arkansas and Georgia as SEC schools to have both genders on the list. With a combined grade point average of 3.47, the Gamecock women ranked behind only Alabama (3.48) among conference rivals. To qualify for the team academic distinction, a program must have a combined GPA of 3.0 or greater during the indoor and/or outdoor season.

Individually, six women and one man made USTFCCCA’s list from Carolina. Ryan Bermudez represented the men, and Chalese Davis, Shelby Freedman, Sarah Graham, Olivia Hassler, Erika Rucker and Jeannelle Scheper made it for the women. Rucker and Scheper are now four-time honorees, Davis and Graham have made it twice, and Bermudez, Freedman and Hassler made it for the first time.

To qualify for the USTFCCCA All-Academic Track and Field Team, the 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).