Men’s Track Honored For Academic Prowess

Team Earns USTFCCCA All-Academic Designation

07/10/07 4:33PM

NEW ORLEANS, LA - The United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association on Tuesday named William and Mary’s men’s track team as one of 34 All-Academic teams for the 2007 competition year. Stanford was named the Academic Team of the Year.

The team carried a 3.01 grade-point average last year, while earning runner-up honors at the CAA Championships. W&M also took second at the snow-shortened Colonial Relays in April, the first time the meet had been held since 2003. At the IC4A Championships, the Tribe tied for sixth out of 53 indoors, and was eighth out of 44 outdoors.

Individually, the team earned six CAA titles, two IC4A titles, 15 all-conference honors, and 22 All-East accolades. Senior Keith Bechtol (Alexandria, Va.) ran at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, coming within one second of earned All-America honors at 10,000m, and the IC4A-title winning 4x800m relay team of seniors Matt Wolak (Richmond, Va.) and Matt Warco (McMurray, Pa.) and sophomores David Groff (Centreville, Va.) and Ryan Jones (Harrisburg, Pa.) ran the 13th-fastest time in the United States this year, 7:24.97.

W&M was the only team from the state of the Virginia or from the Colonial Athletic Association on the list. To be named an All-Academic team, a squad must carry a minimum GPA of 3.0.