March 8, 2010

COLUMBIA, Mo. - After Tiger freshman Kaitie Vanatta (Littleton, Colo.) was honored for her academic success last week, both the Mizzou men's and women's cross country teams have been honored by the US Track & Field/Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) as All-Academic teams, which were announced Monday (March 8). The women's team was one of 176 programs to earn the distinction nationally while the men's team was one of 135 honorees, an all-time high for men's programs since the inception of the award.

The honor for the Tiger women is their 44th consecutive USTFCCCA academic award, making them the only program in the nation to take home the award in every season since the USTFCCCA started to recognize All-Academic teams.

"We are certainly very excited about our women's team's continued great success in the classroom," head track and field coach Dr. Rick McGuire said. "I know that they take great pride in continuing the tradition of academic excellence that has long been the hallmark of Missouri track and field. This is not an individual thing, but a whole team recognition that has now extended through 16 years and literally several generations of women's track athletes. They've all done such a great job."

Two members of the women's cross country team - Shannon Leinert (Eureka, Mo.) and Vanatta - earned a perfect 4.00 GPA during the fall 2009 semester, while Phillip King (Columbia, Mo.) brought home a perfect GPA for the men's team.

The Mizzou women's team finished the semester with a team grade-point-average of 3.49 overall to earn the award while the Tiger men finished the fall with a 3.19 GPA. For a team to be considered for the USTFCCCA All-Academic Team award, they must have competed and compiled a team score at an NCAA Regional Championship and also have a minimum 3.00 team cumulative GPA.

For all the latest on Mizzou track & field/cross country, stay tuned to MUTigers.com.