June 23, 2009

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LAURINBURG, N.C.—A trio of St. Andrews Presbyterian College runners were named to the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) 2008 Cross Country All-Academic teams including sophomore Josh Pickett (Asheville, N.C.) on the men’s team and senior Alyson Trovato (Cedar Park, Texas) and sophomore Tierra Savage (Sanford, N.C.) on the women’s squad. The women’s team also earned All-Academic Team distinction.

To qualify for All-Academic honors, a student-athlete must have completed at least 12 semester/quarter hours through the semester of competition at the institution to be eligible.  The student-athlete must have at least a 3.25 cumulative grade point average and have placed in the top 30% of the total number of athletes eligible to compete at the respective regional championships, or in the top 50% of the field at the NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships.

A total of 138 Division II male student-athletes received All-Academic honors by the USTFCCCA, representing 68 Division II institutions.

Pickett garnered All-Academic honors by finishing 58th overall in the Southeast Regional last fall while also shining in the classroom.

“This is a great honor,” said St. Andrews head coach Jim Walters. “Josh [Pickett] does what is needed in and out of the classroom. Josh represents himself, our team, and St. Andrews with class, and I am very proud of his efforts.”

A total of 243 Division II female student-athletes received 2008 USTFCCCA Cross Country All-Academic honors, representing 101 Division II institutions.

Trovato and Savage both earned All-Academic accolades for SAPC. Trovato – who was named to the prestigious ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District honors for the second straight year – finished fourth in the Southeast Regional and earned an individual bid to the NCAA National Championships. Savage added a 47th place finish in the regional to qualify as both Lady Knights have been scholarly student-athletes.

The St. Andrews women’s cross country team was one of 98 NCAA Division II women’s programs on the 2008 USTFCCCA All-Academic Team list. The Lady Knights once again earned this merit by posting a 3.168 cumulative team GPA after the fall semester.

“What a wonderful group of young ladies,” said Walters. “They worked so hard, not just in their running but with their academics as well. I am proud of the whole team for their commitment.”