Bulls Place Four on Cross Country Academic All-MAC Squads
1/10/2012 12:00:00 AM | Cross Country
BUFFALO, NY – Four members of the University at Buffalo's men's and women's cross country squads have been named to the Academic All-Mid-American Conference teams. Seniors Dylan Conway and John Inzina and juniors Caitlin Curry and Emma Denton were named to the league's men's and women's lists released today.
For Conway and Inzina this is the second consecutive season of being named to the academic list while Curry and Denton are first time honorees.
Conway, a mechanical engineering major with a 3.976 grade point average, raced in five of UB's six meets in 2011. He finished fourth at the UB Stampede Invitational and set his top 8K time of 24:56.9 at the MAC Championships, placing 15th. He also finished 38th of 240 at the NCAA Northeast Regionals in 32:25.3 for 10K. Named MAC Scholar-Athlete of the Week on October 7.
Inzina, an electrical engineering major with a 3.524 grade point average, also saw action in five meets during the 2011 campaign. He earned second-team All-MAC honors with his eighth place finish at the league championships in 24:47.0 setting his top 8K mark of the season. Inzina also finished 37th of 240 at the Northeast Regionals in 32:24.7 for 10K.
Curry, a business major with a 3.710 grade point average, appeared in three of UB's six women's meets. She finished fourth at the UB Stampede Invitational with her top 5K time of 19:06 and placed 107th of 385 at the Paul Short Invitational in 24:01 for 6K. Curry also serves as Athletes for Athletes Officer for UB's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
Denton, an exercise and nutrition science major with a 3.981 grade point average, also raced in three of six UB meets. She finished eighth at the UB Stampede Invitational in 19:33 for 5K. After missing the remainder of the regular season, Denton returned for the postseason meets where she placed 64th of 95 at the MAC Championships in 23:22.3 for 6K and 193rd of 243 at the Northeast Regionals in 24:34.8.
"We are extremely proud of the academic accomplishments of the student-athletes," said head coach Vicki Mitchell."For Conway and Inzina, it is the second time they have received this honor. It is special for these two to receive this honor as seniors and in a year that the men's team had their best ever performance. For Denton and Curry, it shows their commitment to their academic work has shined through along with their commitment to their athletic performance."
The UB men finished third of 10 at the MAC Championships and turned in their highest finish at the NCAA Northeast Regionals, hosted by the Bulls, with a seventh-place showing. The UB women placed 10th at the MAC and 25th at the Northeast Championships.
A total of 30 athletes (14 men and 16 women) were named to the Academic All-MAC teams.
To be nominated, a student-athlete must have at least a 3.20 cumulative GPA and have participated in at least 50 percent of the contests for that particular sport. First-year students and junior college transfers in their first year of residence are not eligible for the award. Outstanding academic and athletic accomplishments from the current season only are considered. The Academic All-MAC team is voted on by the league's faculty athletic representatives.
