NEW ORLEANS, La. --- Moravian University has had five runners named United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association All-Academic individuals and both the men's and women's cross country teams honored as an All-Academic Team by the USTFCCCA for the 2021 season.
Moravian's honorees were senior Natalie Stabilito, junior Rachel Byrne, sophomore Pia Mazzella DiBosco and freshmen Amber Poniktera from the women's team and senior Shane Houghton from the men's squad. Stabilito and Mazzella DiBosco are majoring in nursing while Byrne is a sociology major and Poniktera is a health sciences major with a focus on pre-athletic training. Houghton is a computer science major.
To earn All-Academic individual honors, student-athletes must have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.30 and have finished in the top 25 percent of the finishers at the NCAA Division III Regionals last November. That group totaled 203 women and 248 men on the NCAA Division III level including the five Greyhounds.
"To be eligible for this award, you need to be among the top 25% of finishers from our regional meet, which means only about 40 athletes in our entire region could achieve this, and then they need to earn a 3.3 GPA," commented Director of Cross Country and Track & Field Jesse Baumann. "To have five individuals achieve that across both teams is truly exceptional! This sport demands countless hours of time and on top of that many of our runners are RAs, on their feet eight hours for clinicals, volunteering their time to other clubs on campus, working side jobs, etc. The time management coupled with the athletic and academic achievements are remarkable for these runners."
Stabilito placed fourth of 169 runners in the 2021 NCAA Division III Metro Regional with a time of 22:24.1 on the 6,000-meter course as she earned All-Region honors and a berth in the 2021 NCAA Division III National Championships. Poniktera also garnered All-Region accolades as she finished in 21st place in a time of 23:35.3 while Mazzella DiBosco took 36th place in 23:56.9, missing All-Region honors by one spot and Byrne finished 42nd in a time of 24:09.7. For the men, Houghton finished sixth in the 2021 NCAA Division III Metro Regional in a time of 25:42.8 as he also earned a berth in the NCAA Division III National Championships.
The women's team also maintained a 3.57 cumulative GPA after the fall semester and was one of 163 women's teams to earn All-Academic honors while the men's squad had a 3.60 GPA and was one of 137 teams honored. To be considered an All-Academic Team, programs must have a cumulative GPA of 3.10 or greater and also compiled a team score at the NCAA Regionals.
"What we're truly proud of, though, is our cumulative GPA since that shows the entire team is excelling, not just one or two individuals," stated Baumann. We had nine student athletes earn 4.0 GPAs this semester and overall, both teams were above a 3.57 average which is incredible.
"Being a successful student-athlete is a great reflection of time management, maturity, and commitment so we're proud to have so many runners on our team that clearly show those attributes," Baumann finished.
To view the complete list of the USTFCCCA Academic honorees, visit http://www.ustfccca.org/2022/01/featured/2021-ustfccca-college-program-divisions-cross-country-academic-awards.
