Photo by: Justin Tafoya, NCAA Photos
Falcons Place 23 on Academic All-MW Team
7/19/2021 12:36:00 PM | Cross Country
More than half of the record-setting group (13) were named Mountain West Scholar-Athletes.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – A program-record 23 members of the Air Force cross country team were recently named to the Mountain West Academic All-Conference Team, the conference office announced last week with the release of its academic awards for the Spring of 2021.
Highlighting the cross country team's list of representatives were four recent Academy graduates – Hunter Boyer (3.75, aeronautical engineering), Colin Dwyer (3.40, geospatial science), Scott Johnson (3.56, operations research), and Alec Schrank (3.25, operations research) – who captured academic all-conference accolades for the third consecutive year, while classmate Maria Mettler (3.22, behavioral science) earned her second-straight academic award from the conference.
Ten juniors - Garrett Blenkush (3.51, aeronautical engineering), Mikayla Gallagher (3.78, astronautical engineering, applied mathematics), Ryan Ioanidis (3.36, foreign area studies, political science), Jenna Kill (3.79, applied mathematics), Will Kitzhaber (3.51, legal studies), Brid O'Connell (3.36, operations research), Frank Rossi (3.96, applied mathematics), Adrianna Wilder (3.14, systems engineering), Joseph Wittig (3.93, geospatial science), and Matt Zacharias (3.17, cyber science) – were named to the academic all-conference list, with Gallagher, Ioanidis, Kill and Kitzhaber earning their third honor in as many years.
Sophomore Niko Fraser (3.60, biology) made his second appearance on the academic all-conference list, while classmates Ben Bi (3.79, management), Aidan Boyle (3.77, management) and Ben Leicht (3.78, aeronautical engineering, physics) made their first.
Four first-year Falcons – Eli Bennett (3.38, undeclared), Connor Ohlson (3.35, astronautical engineering), Nick Scheller (3.08, management), and Rebecca Wusinich (3.96, undeclared) – claimed academic honors from the conference following their freshmen campaigns.
With matching GPAs of 3.96, Rossi and Wusinich are tied for the second-highest GPA among all of the 148 Air Force cadet-athletes honored during the 2020-21 academic year.
A league-record 2,045 student-athletes were named to the Mountain West's academic all-conference team for the spring semester, which included baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's golf, women's soccer, softball, women's swimming and diving, men's and women's tennis, and men's and women's track and field. To be eligible for 2021 Spring Academic All-Conference honors, student-athletes must have completed at least one academic term at the member institution, while maintaining a cumulative grade-point-average of 3.0 or better. The athletic participation requirement has been omitted for the award this year due to the impact of COVID-19.
MOUNTAIN WEST SCHOLAR-ATHLETES
In addition, 13 of the squad's academic all-conference selections – Bi, Blenkush, Boyer, Boyle, Fraser, Gallagher, Johnson, Kill, Kitzhaber, Leicht, Rossi, Wittig and Wusinich – were recognized with Mountain West Scholar-Athlete honors for maintaining a GPA of 3.50 or higher during the 2020-21 academic year.
Highlighting the cross country team's list of representatives were four recent Academy graduates – Hunter Boyer (3.75, aeronautical engineering), Colin Dwyer (3.40, geospatial science), Scott Johnson (3.56, operations research), and Alec Schrank (3.25, operations research) – who captured academic all-conference accolades for the third consecutive year, while classmate Maria Mettler (3.22, behavioral science) earned her second-straight academic award from the conference.
Ten juniors - Garrett Blenkush (3.51, aeronautical engineering), Mikayla Gallagher (3.78, astronautical engineering, applied mathematics), Ryan Ioanidis (3.36, foreign area studies, political science), Jenna Kill (3.79, applied mathematics), Will Kitzhaber (3.51, legal studies), Brid O'Connell (3.36, operations research), Frank Rossi (3.96, applied mathematics), Adrianna Wilder (3.14, systems engineering), Joseph Wittig (3.93, geospatial science), and Matt Zacharias (3.17, cyber science) – were named to the academic all-conference list, with Gallagher, Ioanidis, Kill and Kitzhaber earning their third honor in as many years.
Sophomore Niko Fraser (3.60, biology) made his second appearance on the academic all-conference list, while classmates Ben Bi (3.79, management), Aidan Boyle (3.77, management) and Ben Leicht (3.78, aeronautical engineering, physics) made their first.
Four first-year Falcons – Eli Bennett (3.38, undeclared), Connor Ohlson (3.35, astronautical engineering), Nick Scheller (3.08, management), and Rebecca Wusinich (3.96, undeclared) – claimed academic honors from the conference following their freshmen campaigns.
With matching GPAs of 3.96, Rossi and Wusinich are tied for the second-highest GPA among all of the 148 Air Force cadet-athletes honored during the 2020-21 academic year.
A league-record 2,045 student-athletes were named to the Mountain West's academic all-conference team for the spring semester, which included baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's golf, women's soccer, softball, women's swimming and diving, men's and women's tennis, and men's and women's track and field. To be eligible for 2021 Spring Academic All-Conference honors, student-athletes must have completed at least one academic term at the member institution, while maintaining a cumulative grade-point-average of 3.0 or better. The athletic participation requirement has been omitted for the award this year due to the impact of COVID-19.
MOUNTAIN WEST SCHOLAR-ATHLETES
In addition, 13 of the squad's academic all-conference selections – Bi, Blenkush, Boyer, Boyle, Fraser, Gallagher, Johnson, Kill, Kitzhaber, Leicht, Rossi, Wittig and Wusinich – were recognized with Mountain West Scholar-Athlete honors for maintaining a GPA of 3.50 or higher during the 2020-21 academic year.
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