Men's Cross Country Excelling in the Classroom
10/19/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Cross Country
Oct. 19, 2011
By Gail Goldmuntz
OXFORD, Ohio - For the fifth year in a row the Miami University Men's Cross Country team has received a perfect 1,000 on the Academic Progress Rate (APR) awarded by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for their outstanding performance in the classroom.
"For five years we've had every person who ever wore a cross country uniform graduate," says Head Coach Warren Mandrell of the achievement. "We have really good students to start with and it's a great place to be. They enjoy being a part of the program and they keep going and graduate".
The APR looks at a team's academic success each semester by tracking the academic progress of each student-athlete. The APR includes eligibility, retention, and graduation in the calculation and provides a clear picture of the academic culture in each sport.
Coach Mandrell takes pride in the academic success of his athletes and makes a point during the recruiting process to stress the importance of school.
"I think that our athletes do better here because they fit better academically and they tend to have a great work ethic," Mandrell explained. "You can't have good grades if you don't have at least a reasonable work ethic. You have to do the homework and you have to study and do the presentations. I think that a lot of that will roll over into the athletic side as well. "
The perfect score of 1,000 is only one of the many academic-based awards the team has won. The RedHawks were tabbed an All-Academic Team for the 2010 season by the U.S. Track and Field/Cross Country Coaches Association for the fifth straight year for compiling a 3.20 team grade-point average. The honor was the 15th time in the last 17 years the RedHawks have earned the distinction. The `Hawks were also given a Public Recognition Award (PRA) for the season for scoring in the top 10 percent according to their APR, their fifth award in six years.
Besides team awards, several RedHawks earned individual academic awards during the 2010-11 season. Current redshirt junior David Eichenberger (Plainfield, Ind.) was named to the 2011 Capital One Men's Track & Field/Cross Country Academic All-District IV First Team for his 3.94 grade-point average. Eichenberger also received Academic All-MAC honors for the second straight year. Current redshirt senior Brian Gallagher (Westlake, Ohio), redshirt sophomore Matt Marol (Evanston, Ill.) and 2011 graduate Robbie Fisher (Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich.) earned Academic All-MAC honorable mention recognition.
"For us its (academics) an important thing and they should celebrate it," said Mandrell. "I tell them to put it on their resume that they were a member of an Academic All-American team. I think it's an important thing for them."
--MURedHawks.com--Players Mentioned
