July 24, 2014
The Vanderbilt track and field program continues to serve as a shining example of what Vanderbilt is all about — the combination of academic and athletic success.
After recently completing one of its best-ever seasons, the Commodores’ track team capped its year by having a total of eight representatives who earned USTFCCCA All-Academic honors. The list included Rebecca Chandler, Amira Joseph, Simone Charley, Skyler Carpenter, Lily Williams, Liz Anderson, Sarah Bell and Sara Barron.
“This shows that our athletes are just as driven in the classroom as they are on the track,” said Vanderbilt head coach Steve Keith. “It says a lot about them to be able to handle both (the athletic and academic responsibilities). And truthfully, they like those challenges.”
The Commodores posted a team GPA of 3.27.
“To me, (that number) is maybe the most impressive part (of the honors),” said Keith. “It’s probably the best we’ve had. … And as for the number of individual honors, we rank really well in the conference.”
Listed below are the GPAs and majors for the Vanderbilt honorees:
Rebecca Chandler — 3.90 (Political Science)
Amira Joseph — 3.78 (Economics)
Simone Charley — 3.67 (Undecided)
Skyler Carpenter — 3.63 (Medicine, Health and Society)
Lily Williams — 3.51 (Biological Sciences)
Liz Anderson — 3.49 (Communications / Philosophy)
Sarah Bell — 3.45 (Undecided)
Sara Barron — 3.41 (Interdisciplinary; Music Management and Marketing)
To qualify for the USTFCCCA All-Academic Track and Field Team, the student-athlete must have compiled a cumulative grade point average of 3.25 and have met at least one of the following athletic standards: (1) 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 national top 48 (collective listing) in a relay event on the official NCAA POP list provided by TFRRS.org; or (2) For the outdoor season, a student-athlete must have participated in any round of the NCAA Division I Championships (including preliminary rounds).
A total of 727 women from 193 institutions earned USTFCCCA All-Academic honors. Minnesota led all teams with 21 honorees, followed by BYU and Nebraska with 13 each. Ten other teams were represented by 10 or more honorees, including indoor national champion Oregon with 12. The SEC edged out the Big Ten as the best represented conference with its 91 selections to the Big Ten’s 87. The ACC earned 61 awards, and schools from the Big 12 claimed 53.
For more on the USTFCCCA All-Academic honors, including a complete list of honorees, click here.
