2021 USTFCCCA Cross Country Academic Awards
SEWARD, Neb. – Academic honors streamed in on Thursday (Jan. 27) for the Concordia University Cross Country programs. Head Coach Matt Beisel’s squads were both recognized as 2021 All-Academic Teams by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) while three Bulldogs were lauded as All-Academic Athletes: Rylee Haecker, Calvin Rohde and Camden Sesna. In terms of highest grade-point averages among NAIA cross country programs, the Concordia women ranked fourth and the men ninth.
In order to qualify for All-Academic distinction, teams must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, including the most recent grading period, among other qualifiers. In order to qualify for All-Academic distinction, student-athletes must have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25 on a 4.0 scale and qualify for the national championship meet. Haecker, Rohde and Sesna each earned berths to nationals this past fall and met the GPA standard.
The Bulldog Women’s Cross Country team sports a cumulative GPA of 3.774 while the Concordia Men’s Cross Country squad owns a collective GPA of 3.446. During the 2020-21 academic year, the two programs combined for 20 NAIA Scholar-Athletes.