Central Michigan University Athletics
Track and Field Programs Earn Academic Honors
7/18/2006 12:00:00 AM | Track & Field
The women’s squad was one of 75 NCAA Division-I teams with a cumulative grade-point average above 3.0 to be named as a USTFCCCA All-Academic Team for 2006. This is the third consecutive year that CMU has been named as one of the All-Academic teams. In 2004, the Chippewas ranked fifth in the country with a team GPA of 3.33, and in 2005 they ranked 10th with a cumulative mark of 3.27.
“I’m really proud of the academic success of our team,” CMU head women’s track and field coach Karen Lutzke said. “It’s a difficult balancing act as a student-athlete at an NCAA Division I institution, and our team does a tremendous job with it. The academic support that our student-athletes receive, led by Pat Podoll and Deb McAlpin, plays a key role in the academic success of our entire athletics department.”
CMU was one of four Mid-American Conference schools to earn the team honor from the USTFCCCA. The other three schools from the conference were Akron, Miami (Ohio) and Western Michigan.
Also, the men’s track and field squad had two of its members earn individual recognition for their academic accomplishments. Junior distance runner Matt Loiselle and freshman pole vaulter Marcus Breidinger were both honored as part of the 2006 Division I USTFCCCA Men’s All-Academic Track and Field team. They merited a slot on the team by having a cumulative GPA of 3.25 or better and meeting the NCAA Division I regional or national qualifying standard in their events.
“I’m really proud of both of these young men earning this kind of recognition from a well-respected national organization like the USTFCCCA,” CMU head men’s track and field coach Jim Knapp said. “Academics are important at CMU, and we stress that to each and every student-athlete that comes through our program. Our entire athletics department is committed to being successful on the field of play and in the classroom, and honors like this one for Marcus and Matt demonstrate that.”
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