NEW ORLEANS, La. - The Golden Grizzlies men's and women's cross country team were named to the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) 2023 NCAA Division I Men's and Women's Cross Country All-Academic Team, it was announced by the association.
To qualify for the All-Academic distinction, teams must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale and includes the most recent grading period.
The men's team was honored with a collective grade point average of 3.59, while the women's team held a GPA of 3.67. The Golden Grizzlies men finished third at the #HLXC Championship while the women took home first place and won the championship. Graduate student
Grace Nolan and senior
Maryam Sheena finished in the top ten in the Women's 6k Race, as Nolan crossed the line in third with a time of 21:11.42, while Sheena placed ninth with a time of 21:33.87. For the men,
Yami Albrecht paced the team and placed third in the Men's 8k Race with a time of 24:15.01.
Head coach
Paul Rice was named Women's Coach of the Year and saw Nolan on the Women's All-League First Team. Sheena was also recognized on the All-League Second Team. As for the men, Albrecht and
Colin Kane were named first team, as
Wesley Hollowell earned second team honors.
The teams also showed out in the NCAA Great Lakes Regional Meet, as the men's team set a historic pace in their 10K race, finishing 14th overall. This mark is Oakland's third highest finish at the meet since the university went from Division I to Division II. Albrecht led the pack in 35th place, as the women's team finished 20th overall as Nolan was the first Golden Grizzly to cross the line.
