Cross Country Programs Combine to Boast Four USTFCCCA All-Academic Selections
Both Ravens squads earn team honors as well
RINDGE, N.H. (February 25, 2015) – Junior Jon Holmes (Albany, N.Y.), junior B.J. Smith (Concord, N.H.) and freshman Christopher Lord (North Andover, Mass.) of the Franklin Pierce University men's cross country team, as well as senior Alyssa Lambert (Manchester, N.H.) of the women's team, have all earned United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association All-Academic honors, as announced on Wednesday by the USTFCCCA. In addition, both the men's and women's cross country programs have been honored at the team level by the USTFCCCA All-Academic program.
Per the USTFCCCA: "Honorees must have compiled a cumulative GPA or 3.25 or greater and must have finished among the top 30 percent of total eligible runners at his or her regional championship (total Division II teams in the region multiplied by seven runners per team) or in the top half of the field at the NCAA Championships." In total, the USTFCCCA honored 384 women and 266 men for their work in the classroom and on the course this fall.
At the team level, the USTFCCCA honored all programs which scored at their respective NCAA regional meet and tallied a team grade-point average of 3.0 or higher in the fall semester. For Franklin Pierce, the women turned in a 3.43 GPA, while the men contributed a 3.31.
Holmes earned USTFCCCA All-Academic accolades for the second time in his career, while the others are all first-time honorees.
Holmes, a graphic communications major, ran a 10k time of 32:15.1 this fall to finish 19th at the NCAA Championship East Regional. Earlier in the season, he placed 12th at the Northeast-10 Championship and 209th at the NEICAAA Championships.
A health sciences major, Smith was 30th at the East Regional, as he turned in a time of 32:34.4. He also placed 13th at the Northeast-10 Championship and 44th at the New England Championships.
Lord, a sports & recreation management major, capped his inaugural collegiate cross country campaign with a 32:46.2 to finish 32nd at the East Regional. Lord was 47th at the Northeast-10 Championship and 165th at the NEICAAA Championships.
Lambert, also a health sciences major, clocked in with a 6k time of 23:03.6 to place 36th at the East Regional, after placing ninth at the Northeast-10 Championship and 128th at the New England Championships. Earlier in the season, she captured her first individual cross country title at the college level, by winning the Philadelphia Metropolitan Invitational on Sept. 12.
For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu). Also be sure to follow the Ravens through the Department of Athletics' official Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceRavens), its YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/franklinpiercesports) and its Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/FPUathletics). Fans wishing to purchase Franklin Pierce cross country apparel can do so at the Department of Athletics' online store (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store).