Feb. 17, 2011
NEW ORLEANS - Texas A&M men's and women's cross country teams were chosen for All-Academic status for the 2010 season. Individually, Aggies Kevin Burnett and Tara Upshaw received individual honors as they were named to the 2010 Division I All-Academic team as selected by the United States Track and Field Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
There were 15 women earning the honor from the Big 12 and nine men. To qualify individually for the USTFCCCA All-Academic cross country team, the student-athlete must have compiled a cumulative grade point average of 3.25 and have either earned USTFCCCA All-America status or finished in the NCAA region's top 15 (or top 10 percent) in 2010.
Tara Upshaw qualified for the NCAA Championship field after placing 10th at the South Central region meet held in Waco. Burnett led the A&M men with a 15th-place finish at the region meet.
The Big 12 had 11 women's squads and 10 men's teams receiving All-Academic honors. Teams qualify for the All-Academic status by having a cumulative GPA of 3.00 or better and started at least five runners at their respective NCAA regional meets.
NATIONAL RANKINGS: A&M men No. 4, Aggie women No. 5
The first set of the 2011 indoor rankings to relay on marks achieved this season had the Aggies dropping in the national rankings produced by USTFCCCA. The Texas A&M men are No. 4 and the Aggie women are No. 5.
Florida men and Oregon women, the defending national champions, maintained their No. 1 rankings this week, but there were changes among the top 10.
The Gators top the men's rankings and are followed by LSU, Indiana, Texas A&M, Arkansas, BYU, Stanford, Texas, Penn State and Oklahoma among the top 10.
Oregon headlines the women's rankings which include LSU, Texas, Arkansas, Texas A&M, Tennessee, Florida State, Central Florida, Oklahoma and BYU in the top 10.
Other Big 12 schools in the men's rankings are Nebraska (17), Texas Tech (18), and Kansas State (20). In the women's rankings other conference schools include Nebraska (11), Texas Tech (17), and Baylor (18).
Texas A&M competes in the Big 12 Indoor Championships on February 25-26 in Lincoln, Nebraska.