Team Academic Awards | Individual Academic Awards
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Already crowned the best on the grass, these Lobos are earning recognition for their work in the classroom.
On Friday, the University of New Mexico women’s cross country team was named the NCAA Division I Women’s Scholar Team of the Year for the 2017 cross country season by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
Led by Female Scholar Athlete of the Year and NCAA individual champion Ednah Kurgat, the UNM women joined the Lobo men’s cross country squad as an All-Academic Team. It’s the fourth straight year both the men’s and women’s teams were named All-Academic.
The women’s Scholar Team of the Year award is the second in both New Mexico and Mountain West history, following their selection in 2016 following their 2015 NCAA title season.
The Lobo women are the fourth program to earn multiple Scholar Team of the Year honors, joining Oregon, Villanova and Stanford.
In order to receive the team onor, the Lobos not only had to be the top finishing team for their respective gender at the NCAA Cross Country Championships, but also have at least a cumulative team GPA of 3.0. The Lobos posted a team 3.53 GPA last fall.
Individually, three members of the 2017 NCAA team cross country championship team were named USTFCCCA All-Academic, with Kurgat leading the pack. Fellow cross country All-Americans Weini Kelati and Alice Wright were also honored.
Kurgat, who went undefeated during the cross country season en route to the program’s first-ever individual NCAA cross country title, is the first New Mexico athlete to be named Scholar Athlete of the Year. She is also the first such honoree from the Mountain West.
In order for a student-athlete to qualify for the honor, they must have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25 and finished in the top-25 (or 10 percent) at regionals or as an All-American at the national meet.
On the men’s side, the Lobos picked up All-Academic team honors with a team GPA of 3.38.
Fans can follow @UNMLoboXCTF on Twitter and Instagram to keep track of the Lobos!