KU Cross Country Teams Earn All-Academic Status
LAWRENCE, Kan. — Led by an all-region performance from freshman Gabe Gonzalez, the 29th-ranked Kansas men’s cross country team claimed a sixth-place finish at the NCAA Midwest Regional Championships Friday afternoon at the meet hosted by Missouri State.
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 only three teams in the Big 12 Conference to have both its men’s and women’s squads selected for the honor, as the KU women recorded a team GPA of 3.22, while the men turned in a 3.19.
The KU men were led by a deep group of individuals who not only excelled on the cross country trails, but in the classroom as well. Seniors Ben Wilson, Kaman Schneider, sophomore Reid Buchanan and redshirt freshman Logan Sloan each were named to the Academic All-Big 12 First Team in the fall. Senior Josh Baden found his name on the league’s All-Academic list for the fourth-straight year by claiming second-team honors and was joined by sophomores Brendan Soucie and James Wilson on the second team.
The KU women saw six named to the conference’s all-academic list. Senior Kathleen Thompson made the prestigious list for the third year in a row, while sophomores Liza Tauscher, Ragan Allen and Madison Moser were named to the first team for the first time. Seniors Tessa Turcotte and Devin Wiegers were additions to the second team.
The men’s squad ended the season with a fourth-place team finish at the Big 12 Championships and came in sixth at the NCAA Midwest Regional in November, their highest finish at the regional meet in six years.
KU’s women finished seventh at the conference championships and ended the year with a 13th-place finish at the Midwest Regional race.
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