Men's Track & Field Team Earns Scholastic Award; 11 Named All-Academic

Photo by: Princeton Athletic Communications

Men's Track & Field Team Earns Scholastic Award; 11 Named All-Academic

August 02, 2017 | Men's Track and Field

Eleven members of the Princeton men's track & field team have been named All-Academic it was announced by U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). The team itself was also honored, earning UFTFCCCA All-Academic team accolades, after qualifying with a cumulative GPA of 3.336.

Carrington Akosa, Xavier Bledsoe, Chris Cook, Joey Daniels, Ben Gaylord, Noah Kauppila, August Kiles, Greg Leeper, Harry Lord, Garrett O'Toole, William Paulson each claimed individual honors. Princeton had the fifth most individuals in the nation behind, BYU 18, Arkansas 16, Wisconsin 15 and Kentucky 12. Stanford and Nebraska also had 11.

To qualify for the USTFCCCA All-Academic Track and Field Team, the student-athlete must have compiled a cumulative grade point average of 3.25 and have met either of the following athletic standards: for the indoor season, a student-athlete must have finished the regular season ranked in the national top 96 in an individual event or ranked in the national top 48 (collective listing) in a relay event on the official list provided by TFRRS.org; for the outdoor season, a student-athlete must have participated in any round of the NCAA Division I Championships (including preliminary rounds), or for multi-events finished in the top 48 in the region.

Akosa captures the honor for the second consecutive season. He ranked 57th in the indoor 60 with a time of 6.73. Akosa suffered an injury at the Ivy Heps while posting a 10.58 wind-aided 100 and a 21.56 wind-aided 200 to qualify for both finals.

In his second year qualifying for the Regional in the high jump, Bledsoe earns his second academic honor. He had a season-best 2.13 (6-11.75) at the Larry Ellis Invitational and finished 29th at the East Regional with a 2.05 (6-8.75)

Cook graduates having earned academic honors all four years. Indoors he ranked 39th in the shot put at 18.30 (60-0.5) and qualified for the East Regional in qualified for the Regionals in the shot put for the fourth year but could not compete due to an injury.

As a freshman Daniels was ranked 62nd in the 60 hurdles with a time of 7.96 and after winning Ivy Heps with a wind-aided 13.88 in the 110-meter hurdles outdoors, Daniels competed in his first Regional where he finished 27th.

Both Gaylord and Kiles were ranked in the pole vault, both indoors and out. Kiles was 20th indoors with a 5.42 (17-9.25) and reached the NCAA Championships in the event after taking eighth at Regionals. Gaylord was 93rd indoors with a 5.05 (16-6.75) and reached 5.00 (16-4.75) at the Regionals.

Paulson earns the academic honor for the first time after running 8:07.58 in the indoor 3000 to rank 95th. During the outdoor season he clocked a PR of 3:42.23 in the 1500, and was seventh at the Regional semifinals in the 1500 to advance to Eugene.

Freshman Harry Lord was 48th in the East in the decathlon with his best score a 6,538 from the Ivy Heps where he claimed points with a third-place finish.

Kauppila earns his third academic honor after qualifying for the Regional 1500 with a 3:45.06 and ran 3:51.06 in the prelims.

With his second academic honor Leeper posted a 52.06 to win the Ivy Heps 400 hurdles for the second consecutive season. At the NCAA Regional he ran 53.37 in the prelims.

O'Toole earns his first honor after making the NCAA Regionals in the 1500 for the second season. He clocked a season best 3:46.03 and then a a 3:49.12 in the Regional semifinal to place 15th.