KU Women's Cross Country Team Earns All-Academic Honors

Feb. 13, 2012

LAWRENCE, Kan. – The University of Kansas women’s cross country squad earned All-Academic Team honors for the 2011 season, it was announced Monday by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

To be eligible for the award, a team must have a minimum 3.00 cumulative GPA and must have competed at least five runners at the NCAA regional championship meet in November.

KU was one of eight teams in the Big 12 Conference to be selected for the honor, as the Jayhawks recorded a team GPA of 3.12.

The Jayhawks were led this season by Rebeka Stowe, who recently received individual recognition from the conference, as the senior from Olathe, Kan., was named to the Big 12 Community of Champions for her superior work both on and off the course. Stowe, along with senior Cori Christensen and juniors Tessa Turcotte, Kathleen Thompson and Devin Weigers, were also named to the Academic All-Big 12 first team during the 2011 cross country season.

In addition to its academic success, the women’s team accomplished a feat it had only done twice before in the 16 years at the Big 12 meet, as the women had two Jayhawks, Stowe and fellow senior Kara Windish, finish in the top 20 at the conference meet.

Both women followed that performance with top-25 finishes at the Midwest Regional Championships, which earned them spots on the All-Region team. Overall, the KU women’s squad took seventh at the regional meet.