Oct. 28, 2008
WACO, Texas - The Baylor men's and women's cross country teams placed 19 student-athletes on the 2008 Academic All-Big 12 Cross Country Team, the league office announced on Tuesday. The Lady Bears paced the conference with 13 first-team selections.
Baylor also led the league with two student-athletes, Kristen McGlynn and Renae Van Wyhe, maintaining a perfect 4.0 grade point average.
The 19 selections to the Academic All-Big 12 team is 10 more than the Bears received during the 2007 season and is the most selections in a single year in recent memory.
Included in the selections is a quartet of runners who have scored in each meet for the No. 17 women's team in Jessi Barnes, Erin Bedell, Danielle Bradley and Nichole Jones. Bedell and Jones were each named the Big 12 Runner of the Week during the season. Van Wyhe has scored in three of Baylor's four meets.
The men's group of selections includes Jeff Sadler, Baylor's top finisher in all four meets this season. Second-team selection Robbie Knorr has scored in all four Baylor meets this season, while Michael Williams finished in Baylor's top five in each of his three meets.
Nominated by each institution's director of student-athlete support services and the media relations offices, the men's cross country academic all-league squad consisted of 50 first team members combined with 10 on the second team, while the women had 60 first team recipients and six student-athletes on the second team. First team members consist of those who have maintained a 3.20 or better GPA, and the second team are those who have a 3.00 to 3.19 GPA.
To qualify student-athletes must maintain a 3.00 GPA or higher either cumulative or the two previous semesters and must have participated in 60 percent of his/her team's scheduled contests. Freshmen and transfers are not eligible in their first year of academic residence. Senior student-athletes who have participated for a minimum of two years and meet all the criteria except percent of participation are also eligible.
Baylor returns to action this weekend at the Big 12 Cross Country Championships, hosted by Iowa State. The event will begin with the women's 6,000-meter race at 10 a.m. CT, followed by the men's 8,000-meter run at 11 a.m. Admission is free to the public.
Men's first-team selections
Grant Bugner
Joseph Hawkins
Jeff Sadler
John Wenhold
Michael Williams
Men's second-team selection
Robbie Knorr
Women's first-team selections
Hilary Andrews
Jessi Barnes
Erin Bedell
Kathryn Benvegnu
Danielle Bradley
Caitlin Fairly
Leigh Ann Ganzar
Jodi Hulett
Nichole Jones
Kristen McGlynn*
Katie Shaw
Lauren Simpson
Renae Van Wyhe*
