BYU men’s and women’s cross country teams were named the National Scholar Teams of the Year by the USTFCCCA, the organization announced Thursday afternoon.
Six members of the BYU men’s cross country team earned USTFCCCA All-Academic honors in addition to the team recognition with a GPA of 3.64, while the Cougar women received the national award after winning the program’s sixth national title in November at the 2024 NCAA Cross Country Championships while boasting a cumulative GPA of 3.43.
“What a tremendous honor for our cross country teams,” said BYU Senior Associate Athletic Director Liz Darger. “These student-athletes are exemplars of discipline in every part of their lives, including athletically, academically and spiritually. They’ve made and kept commitments individually and collectively that have allowed them to excel on the course and in the classroom. We are thrilled for them to be recognized for their efforts in this special way.”
Along with being named National Scholar Team of the Year, the USTFCCCA also included the BYU women’s program on its list of 2024 NCAA Division I Cross Country Women’s All-Academic teams. Team-wide academic honors are given to teams with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0.
“We have a great team culture right now of performing to the best of your ability in all aspects of your life,” said head coach Ed Eyestone. “Consistent competence equals eventual excellence in running and in the classroom. These athletes support each other and the positive peer pressure for excellence is expressed and manifested in all aspects of their lives.”
On the men’s side, Lucas Bons, Casey Clinger, Luke Grundvig, Joey Nokes, Creed Thompson and Davin Thompson all were recognized by the association for achieving All-Academic honors, while for the women Taylor Rohatinksy and Taylor Lovell were also named to the individual All-Academic list.
Student-athletes must achieve a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25 on a 4.0 scale and finish in the top-25 (or 10 percent) at the NCAA Regional Championships, or as an All-American (top-40) at the NCAA Championships to qualify for the USTFCCCA’S individual All-Academic honors.
An exercise science major, Rohatinsky earned her first cross country All-Academic award. The junior from Highland, Utah boasts a 3.63 GPA.
This fall, Rohatinsky placed seventh at the Big 12 championships to earn All-Big 12 honors in a personal-best 6,000-meter time of 19:55.3. She also earned All-Mountain Region honors with a ninth-place finish at the NCAA Mountain Region Cross Country Championships, running 20:05.6. At the NCAA championships, Rohatinksy placed 43rd, clocking 20:06.5 as BYU’s fourth runner to cross the finish line.
Junior Taylor Lovell earned her first All-Academic award in cross country. A native of Gilbert, Arizona, Lovell is an exercise and wellness major with a 3.51 GPA.
During the 2024 cross country season, Lovell earned All-Mountain Region honors with a 10th place finish and a career-best 6k time of 20:09.2 at the NCAA Mountain Region Cross Country Championships. She also placed 88th at the NCAA championships in 20:28.6 as the Cougars’ seventh runner to cross the finish line in BYU’s national title performance.
Each All-Academic athlete will continue competing on the track this indoor/outdoor season.
