Air Force Trio Named to USTFCCCA All-Academic Team
7/18/2015 12:00:00 AM | Track and Field
NEW ORLEANS, La. – Three members of the Air Force track and field team were named to the 2015 U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches' Association's Division I All-Academic Team on July 17. Senior Kobi Rex highlighted the trio of Air Force honorees, as he became the first cadet-athlete in program history to claim USTFCCCA All-Academic Team honors all four years.
The 2015 Academy graduate was joined on the list of honorees by junior Grant Hamilton, who earned USTFCCCA All-Academic Team distinction for the second straight year, and sophomore Taylor Smith, who claimed the first such honor of his career.
The USTFCCCA All-Academic Team is determined by both academic and athletic achievement during the recent track and field season. To qualify, the student-athletes must have compiled a cumulative grade-point-average of 3.25 or higher and have met one of the following athletic standards: for the indoor season, a student-athlete must have finished the regular season ranked in the national top 96 of an individual event on the official NCAA POP list; for the outdoor season, a student-athlete must have participated in any round of the NCAA Division I Championships.
Rex earned his fourth straight All-Academic Team selection by maintaining a 3.74 GPA in management and holding a No. 60 national ranking in the high jump during the indoor season (6'11"). Hamilton, who claimed three conference titles and earned Capital One Academic All-District honors this year, finished his junior campaign with a 3.48 GPA in American history. An NCAA semifinalist in both the discus throw and shot put during the outdoor season, Hamilton held top 50 rankings in the shot put during both the indoor (No. 43, Academy record 60'4") and outdoor (No. 28, Academy record 60'3¾") seasons, as well as a No. 26 mark in the discus throw (183'1"). Smith, studying for a double major in economics and management (3.28 GPA), was a national semifinalist in the high jump during the outdoor season after claiming his second straight MW title with a clearance of 7'0¼" (No. 27 in the national rankings). In addition, Smith held a No. 22 ranking during the indoor season following a career-best height of 7'1½".
In all, 529 men and 838 women earned All-Academic honors from the USTFCCCA this season.
Players Mentioned
