👟 Kansas Cross Country Honored for Academic Excellence

NEW ORLEANS – The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) announced the 2021 cross country individual and team academic awards Thursday, with both of the Kansas men’s and women’s teams earning All-Academic team honors and Lona Latema earning All-Academic individual honors.

To be eligible for the award, a team must have a minimum 3.00 cumulative grade point average (GPA), while individuals must have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25 on a 4.0 scale and have qualified for either the national championship meet or finished top-five at their respective conference championship.

The KU men’s team was nominated with a 3.36 GPA during the fall 2021 semester, earning the All-Academic distinction for the 12th-consecutive year. On the women’s side, the KU women registered a 3.50 team GPA for their 13th-straight season being recognized.

In addition, sophomore Lona Latema (Biology) was one of 114 individuals named to the women’s All-Academic individuals after qualifying for the 2021 NCAA Cross Country Championships, where she ran a personal best 20:31.2 to place 101st in Tallahassee, Florida.