USTFCCCA Team Awards | USTFCCCA Men's Awards | USTFCCCA Women's Awards

NEW ORELANS -- The University of the Incarnate Word track and field teams were featured on the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic awards list for the second time as a Division I Institution. The men's team capped off the season with a cumulative GPA of 3.21, while the women finished with a 3.41.
 
The Cardinal men's team had the highest cumulative GPA in the Southland Conference. The squad finished second, behind Rice University, in having the highest cumulative GPA in the state of Texas. The men were 61st out of 141 schools who earned at least a 3.0 team GPA.
 
Similarly, the women's team also clinched a second- place finish in the state of Texas. The team finished closely behind Rice University, who recorded a 3.50 cumulative GPA.  The Cardinal women topped the Southland with the highest cumulative GPA last year, but they were slightly overtaken by McNeese's 3.42 GPA this season. The women were 83rd out of 220 total schools that met the minimum requirement of a 3.0 GPA.
 
In its first year of eligibility for individual All-Academic awards, the Cardinal teams had four student-athletes earn solo recognitions. To qualify, student-athletes must have a minimum GPA of 3.25 and have either participated, or been in the top 48, of the West Region in the decathlon or heptathlon.
 
Rodney Littlejohn earned Academic All-American for his top-48 finish in the decathlon in the West Region. Littlejohn also placed 3rd in the event at the Southland Conference Outdoor Championships with a new school record. On the women's side, Victoria Jackson, Tiffani Mays and Lashawnda Simmons were each recognized for earning at least a 3.25 GPA, and for competing in the 4x400m relay at the West Regional meet.  The women tied with Sam Houston State and Mcneese State for the most individual awards in the Southland Conference.
 
Quote from head coach Dr. Derek Riedel on the team's academic success:
"We are extremely proud of every academic award this program receives. Academic success is the ultimate barometer of overall collegiate success and UIW Track and Field has demonstrated once again that academics are always our number one priority. It's vitally important that every one of our student-athletes not only mature as individuals but also excel academically in a way that will make them stand out to future employers. When they maintain over a 3.0 GPA as a Division I student-athlete, they are among the elite of the elite academically. The UIW Track and Field teams demonstrated once again this year that they are not only able to compete athletically against the best, but they also excel at an academic rate well above the overall student average. We push our student-athletes hard to excel in the classroom. When they do as well as they did this year the entire staff takes their hat off to what they did."