NEW ORLEANS – The West Liberty University men's and women's cross country squads received NCAA Division II All-Academic Team citations and a record five Hilltoppers earned NCAA Division II Scholar-Athlete awards on Thursday when the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) announced its 2021 NCAA Division II Cross Country All-Academic honors.
    To qualify as a 2021 USTFCCCA All-Academic Team, the cumulative GPA for all student-athletes on the roster must be 3.00 or higher and the team must post a full team score at their respective regional championship meet.
    Head coach Justin Simpson had no problem meeting that criteria with either of his Hilltopper squads as the West Liberty men posted a combined GPA of 3.145 while the Hilltopper women checked in with an impressive 3.536.
    Criteria for the national Scholar-Athlete Awards were even more challenging as runner were required to have a GPA of 3.25 or higher for their entire college career and place among the Top 30 percent of the finishers at their respective regional championships.
    Two-time All-Region junior Hannah Kemp earned her second straight Scholar-Athlete Award with ease. The MEC Female Cross Country Runner of the Year just missed qualifying for Nationals with an 8th-Place finish at the regional while maintaining a 3.97 GPA as an Exercise Physiology major.
    Four senior members of the WLU men's team earned national Scholar-Athlete distinction and three of them were repeat honorees. Jared Ullom (3.98, Accounting), Michael Harriman (3.95, Finance), Danah Phillips (3.57, Psychology) and Phil White (3.43, Exercise Physiology) easily cleared the combined academic and athletic bar. Ullom, Harriman and Phillips were repeat Scholar-Athlete honorees while White and Harriman also earned All-Region honors at the regional meet.
    Nationwide, a total of 357 women and 275 men were honored by the USTFCCCA with 209 men's and women's teams achieving All-Academic Team status. Isaac Harding of Grand Valley State (Mich.) was tabbed as the 2021 USTFCCCA Men's Scholar-Athlete of the Year with the Women's Scholar-Athlete of the Year award going to Hannah Becker, also of Grand Valley State.