Kansas State University Athletics
K-State Honored for Academic Excellence by USTFCCCA
Jul 28, 2017 | Track & Field
MANHATTAN, Kan. – The Kansas State men’s and women’s track and field teams were honored for their academic excellence on Friday, as the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) announced their annual All-Academic Teams list for the 2016-17 season.
The Wildcat squads were among 360 Division I men’s and women’s teams (218 women’s teams and 142 men’s teams) honored for earning a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 during the 2016-17 academic year. The women’s team tallied a 3.328 GPA, while the men’s team garnered a 3.278 GPA.
Overall, K-State was one of 13 Big 12 teams (four men’s teams and nine women’s teams) to be chosen for the academic recognition and one of just four league schools (Baylor, Iowa State and Oklahoma State) to earn it in both men’s and women’s track and field.
In addition to the team honor, 14 Wildcat student-athletes were selected for individual USTFCCCA All-Academic honors, including senior Miles Bearden (Cartersville, Georgia), junior Mitchell Dixon (Rancho San Margarita, California), sophomore Simone Fassina (Vimercate, Italy), sophomore Brett Neelly (Gallatin, Tennessee) and senior Zack Supple (Reno, Nevada) on the men’s team and sophomore Morgan Coffman (Vassar, Kansas), junior Kayla Doll (Garden City, Kansas), freshman Helene Ingvaldsen (Bergen, Norway), sophomore Ranae McKenzie (Manchester, Jamaica), sophomore Shanae McKenzie (Manchester, Jamaica), freshman Wurrie Njadoe (Shoreline, Washington), Konstantina Romaiou (Corfu, Greece), freshman Lauren Taubert (Casper, Wyoming) and senior Morgan Wedekind (Wichita, Kansas) on the women’s team.
To qualify for USTFCCCA All-Academic honors, the student-athlete must have posted a cumulative 3.25 GPA and met one of the following athletic standards, which includes finishing the indoor regular season ranked in the national top 96 in an individual event, ranking in the national top 48 in an indoor relay event or participating in any round of the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
The 14 Wildcats were among 1,268 student-athletes nationally to earn USTFCCA All-Academic honors.
The team academic honor continued another outstanding academic year for K-State track and field, as a combined 20 Wildcats were named to the Academic All-Big 12 Team, including 13 on the first team led by senior Jeff Bachman and Morgan Coffman, who each earned 4.0 GPAs. In addition, 10 track and field student-athletes earned their bachelor’s degrees in May, including former national champion Akela Jones and NCAA Outdoor Championship participants Brady Grunder and Kyle Smith.
The honor also follows a trend of academic success by a number of Wildcat teams during the 2016-17 season, as baseball, women’s tennis and women’s volleyball all earned their respective team academic awards.
The Wildcat squads were among 360 Division I men’s and women’s teams (218 women’s teams and 142 men’s teams) honored for earning a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 during the 2016-17 academic year. The women’s team tallied a 3.328 GPA, while the men’s team garnered a 3.278 GPA.
Overall, K-State was one of 13 Big 12 teams (four men’s teams and nine women’s teams) to be chosen for the academic recognition and one of just four league schools (Baylor, Iowa State and Oklahoma State) to earn it in both men’s and women’s track and field.
In addition to the team honor, 14 Wildcat student-athletes were selected for individual USTFCCCA All-Academic honors, including senior Miles Bearden (Cartersville, Georgia), junior Mitchell Dixon (Rancho San Margarita, California), sophomore Simone Fassina (Vimercate, Italy), sophomore Brett Neelly (Gallatin, Tennessee) and senior Zack Supple (Reno, Nevada) on the men’s team and sophomore Morgan Coffman (Vassar, Kansas), junior Kayla Doll (Garden City, Kansas), freshman Helene Ingvaldsen (Bergen, Norway), sophomore Ranae McKenzie (Manchester, Jamaica), sophomore Shanae McKenzie (Manchester, Jamaica), freshman Wurrie Njadoe (Shoreline, Washington), Konstantina Romaiou (Corfu, Greece), freshman Lauren Taubert (Casper, Wyoming) and senior Morgan Wedekind (Wichita, Kansas) on the women’s team.
To qualify for USTFCCCA All-Academic honors, the student-athlete must have posted a cumulative 3.25 GPA and met one of the following athletic standards, which includes finishing the indoor regular season ranked in the national top 96 in an individual event, ranking in the national top 48 in an indoor relay event or participating in any round of the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
The 14 Wildcats were among 1,268 student-athletes nationally to earn USTFCCA All-Academic honors.
The team academic honor continued another outstanding academic year for K-State track and field, as a combined 20 Wildcats were named to the Academic All-Big 12 Team, including 13 on the first team led by senior Jeff Bachman and Morgan Coffman, who each earned 4.0 GPAs. In addition, 10 track and field student-athletes earned their bachelor’s degrees in May, including former national champion Akela Jones and NCAA Outdoor Championship participants Brady Grunder and Kyle Smith.
The honor also follows a trend of academic success by a number of Wildcat teams during the 2016-17 season, as baseball, women’s tennis and women’s volleyball all earned their respective team academic awards.
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