The Hope College women's track & field team and two of its student-athletes have received national academic recognition.
Coach Kevin Cole's Flying Dutch made the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association NCAA Division III All-Academic Team for the 2014 season, while senior Sheri McCormack and sophomore Jane Pearson garnered individual USTFCCCA All-Academic honors.
The Flying Dutch claimed the USTFCCCA academic by recording a collective GPA of 3.52. It tied for the 11th highest GPA in the nation. Hope was one of 158 women's teams nationally to be named an All-Academic Team.
McCormack, a senior from Holland, Michigan (West Ottawa HS), and Pearson, a sophomore from Lake City, Michigan (Northern Michigan Christian HS), were among 416 women to earn individual USTFCCCA All-Academic honors.
To qualify for the USTFCCCA All-Academic Track and Field Team, the student-athlete must have compiled a cumulative grade point average of 3.30 and have met either of the following athletic standards:
- Competed in an NCAA Indoor or Outdoor Championship
- Finished the regular season ranked in the national top 35 in an individual event or ranked in the national top 25 (collective listing) in a relay event on the official NCAA POP list provided by TFRRS.org
Earlier, Hope claimed the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association Team GPA award.
"It's just awesome having such great student-athletes who do both good out on the track and in field events, and also in the classroom," Cole said. "That makes my job so much nicer."
