Sports
Six Ohio Cross Country Runners Receive Academic All-MAC Accolades
By: Patrick Gifford
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The Mid-American Conference announced its 2013 Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Academic All-MAC teams on Wednesday. The Ohio Bobcats had one student athlete selected to the men’s team, while leading the MAC with five selections on the women’s squad.
Junior Brandon O’Malley was the lone Bobcat to be selected to the 2013 Men’s Cross Country Academic All-MAC Team. O’Malley, a Kettering, Ohio, native, is a Psychology, Biological Sciences and Business Administration major and has a cumulative GPA of 3.753. O’Malley finished eight in the Miami Invitational back in September.
The Ohio women’s cross country team tied with Toledo in leading the women’s squad with five selections. Sophomore Mauren Dean headlined this group, being one of only three men’s or women’s selections to have a perfect 4.0 GPA.
Dean is a Biology major and has recorded a 4.0 GPA. Dean, a Sylvania, Ohio, native, placed fourth in the Ohio Invitational in September with a time of 19:12.54.
Senior Juli Accurso, a French and Linguistics major, posted a 3.88 GPA. This comes with what has been an incredible career for Accurso. The Casstown, Ohio, native received numerous cross country accolades this past season, including being named the Great Lakes Runner of the Year by the U.S Track & Field Cross Country Association.
Accurso also won the Great Lakes Regional for the second consecutive year in a row. She set a school-record with a time of 20:00. She won the MAC Championships for the third-consecutive year, finishing with a time of 20:37.46. Accurso finished 19th of 252 runners at NCAA Nationals. This helped the senior to earn All-America Honors for the third-consecutive year.
Sophomore Caroline Hildebrand was named to the team, posting a 3.46 GPA and majoring in Electrical Engineering. The Hillard, Ohio, native finished in the top 100 in the Great Lakes Regional. She placed 76th in a time of 22:04. She also finished 29th in the MAC championships with a time of 22:18.29.
Melissa Thompson joins Accurso as one of the two seniors named to the team. Thompson in a Journalism major and has recorded a 3.89 GPA. The Westerville, Ohio, native also finished in the top 100 at the Great Lakes Regional. She placed 96th with a time of 22:24.
Sophomore Tessa Weigand is an Accounting major with a 3.91 GPA. The Akron, Ohio, native placed third in the Ohio Invitational with a time of 19:10.46.
The Men’s Cross Country team had three runners named on the Honorable Mention team. Sophomores Jarrod Genther, Kurt Steinmuller and Jacob Stephens were recognized.
The Women’s Cross Country team also had three runners given Honorable Mention recognition. Sophomores Morgan Mead and Kayla Scott along with junior Morgan Reichert were awarded.
A total of 11 student-athletes were named to the men’s team and 29 student-athletes were named to the women’s team. The teams were voted on by faculty representatives at MAC institutions.
The Academic All-MAC Honor goes to student-athletes who have exceled in both academics and athletics. A student athlete must have participated in at least 50 percent of the contests for the sport and have at least a 3.20 cumulative GPA to qualify.