Photo by: Josh Armstrong
Falcons Claim Nine USTFCCCA Academic Awards
7/22/2021 12:55:00 PM | Track and Field
Both teams and a program-best seven individuals earned USTFCCCA academic honors.
NEW ORLEANS – Both Air Force track and field teams, as well as a program-best seven individuals, earned All-Academic distinction from the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association this afternoon (July 22) for their work in the classroom and on the competition field during the recent indoor and outdoor seasons. This marks the third-straight year that the men's and women's squads have both earned academic honors from the USTFCCCA.
The Academy's list of individual representatives included recent Academy graduate and reigning MW Indoor pole vault champion Mitch Lipe (3.70 GPA, aeronautical engineering), who captured his third-straight academic award from the USTFCCCA and became the eighth Falcon to earn that distinction three times. Classmate Greg Skage, the back-to-back MW Outdoor champion in the pole vault, earned his second honor from the association after maintaining a 3.39 GPA (management).
The Falcons' list also included five first-time selections – junior Michelle Roca (3.83, biology), sophomore Aidan Boyle (3.77, management), senior Scott Johnson (3.56, operations research), junior Will Kitzhaber (3.51, legal studies) and junior Ethan Gardner (3.28, mechanical engineering).
The list of USTFCCCA All-Academic Athletes is determined by both academic and athletic achievement during the track and field season. To qualify, the student-athletes must have compiled a cumulative GPA of 3.25 or higher and have met at least 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 or as a member of a relay that was ranked in the top 48 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.
As a team, Air Force's men and women were two of the more than 440 NCAA Division I programs to earn academic honors by the USTFCCCA this afternoon, after producing a cumulative grade-point-average of 3.00 or higher based on the association's formula. The women completed the 2021 season with a 3.08 GPA, while the men posted a mark of 3.01.
The Academy's list of individual representatives included recent Academy graduate and reigning MW Indoor pole vault champion Mitch Lipe (3.70 GPA, aeronautical engineering), who captured his third-straight academic award from the USTFCCCA and became the eighth Falcon to earn that distinction three times. Classmate Greg Skage, the back-to-back MW Outdoor champion in the pole vault, earned his second honor from the association after maintaining a 3.39 GPA (management).
The Falcons' list also included five first-time selections – junior Michelle Roca (3.83, biology), sophomore Aidan Boyle (3.77, management), senior Scott Johnson (3.56, operations research), junior Will Kitzhaber (3.51, legal studies) and junior Ethan Gardner (3.28, mechanical engineering).
The list of USTFCCCA All-Academic Athletes is determined by both academic and athletic achievement during the track and field season. To qualify, the student-athletes must have compiled a cumulative GPA of 3.25 or higher and have met at least 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 or as a member of a relay that was ranked in the top 48 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.
As a team, Air Force's men and women were two of the more than 440 NCAA Division I programs to earn academic honors by the USTFCCCA this afternoon, after producing a cumulative grade-point-average of 3.00 or higher based on the association's formula. The women completed the 2021 season with a 3.08 GPA, while the men posted a mark of 3.01.
Players Mentioned
800m / 1500m
/ Track and Field
Pole Vault
/ Track and Field
1500m
/ Track and Field
1500m / 5000m
/ Track and Field
Pole Vault
/ Track and Field
400m Hurdles
/ Track and Field
Pole Vault
/ Track and FieldRyan Cole Interview - August 26th, 2025
Tuesday, August 26
Ryan Cole Interview - August 26, 2025
Tuesday, August 26
Ryan Cole Interview March 11, 2025
Tuesday, March 11
Ryan Cole Interview - March 11, 2025
Tuesday, March 11
