Butler Earns Track Academic Honors

INDIANAPOLIS, IND. --Five members of the Butler men’s and women’s track and field squads and both teams have earned recognition for academic excellence from the U. S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.  The individual and team awards were announced by the association’s national office.

The USTFCCCA included Butler’s Kris Gauson (pictured on front page), Tom Boardman and Justin Roeder on its 2011 Division I Men’s All-Academic Track and Field Team.   Katie Clark and Marbeth Shiell of Butler were chosen to 2011 Women’s All-Academic Track & Field Team.

Gauson, an education major, earned first team Capital One Academic All-District V recognition in 2011.  He was named the Most Outstanding Performer for Running Events at the 2011 Horizon League Outdoor Track and Field Championship, and he was selected as the 2011 Horizon League Indoor Track and Field Athlete of the Year.

Boardman, also majoring in education, was a qualifier for the 2011 NCAA Division I East Preliminary Round in the 10,000 meter run, while Roeder, a secondary education major, was the 10,000 meter champion at the 2011 Horizon League outdoor meet.

Clark, who’s majoring in criminology and psychology, was the Horizon League champion in the 5,000 meter run at the league outdoor championship.  She also placed third in the 1500 meter run at the league championship meet.  Shiell, an elementary education major, qualified for the 5,000 meter run at the 2011 NCAA Division I East Preliminary Round and placed runner-up in the 1500 meter run at the Horizon League Outdoor Championship.

To qualify for the USTFCCCA Track & Field All-Academic Team, student-athletes 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 top 48 (collective listing) in a relay event on the official NCAA POP 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).

Butler’s men’s and women’s teams, under head coach Matt Roe, further were honored as 2011 USTFCCCA Division I Track & Field All-Academic Teams.  To qualify for the honor, teams must have had a cumulative team grade point average of 3.00 or better.