Falcons Claim Eight USTFCCCA Academic Awards
7/13/2022 1:20:00 PM | Track and Field
The women's team and seven individuals earned academic honors from the USTFCCCA.
NEW ORLEANS – The Air Force women's track and field team, as well as a program-high seven individuals from the combined program, earned All-Academic distinction from the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association this afternoon (July 13), as the USTFCCCA honored athletes from around the country for their work in the classroom and on the competition field during the recent indoor and outdoor seasons.
The Academy's list of individual representatives includes repeat selections for recent Academy graduates Ethan Gardner and Will Kitzhaber, who both claimed USTFCCCA All-Academic honors for the second-straight year. Gardner graduated with a 3.32 GPA in mechanical engineering, while Kitzhaber completed his academic curriculum at USAFA with a 3.50 mark in legal studies.
Classmates Garrett Blenkush (3.51, aeronautical engineering) and Ryan Ioanidis (3.51, political science/foreign area studies) claimed their first USTFCCCA All-Academic honor in track and field, although Ioanidis has received All-Academic honors twice in cross country. In all, five of the seven Air Force representatives were first-time honorees, as sophomore Philip Hundl (3.68, operations research), classmate Katie Thompson (3.79, biochemistry) and freshman Bryce Lentz (3.30, geospatial science) rounded out the Falcons' list of award winners.
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, the Air Force women were one of more than 150 Division I teams to earn academic honors from the USTFCCCA this afternoon, as the association recognizes teams that maintain a cumulative grade-point-average of 3.00 or higher, based on the USTFCCCA formula. The women completed the 2022 season with a 3.17 GPA – the highest average of its four-year run.
The Academy's list of individual representatives includes repeat selections for recent Academy graduates Ethan Gardner and Will Kitzhaber, who both claimed USTFCCCA All-Academic honors for the second-straight year. Gardner graduated with a 3.32 GPA in mechanical engineering, while Kitzhaber completed his academic curriculum at USAFA with a 3.50 mark in legal studies.
Classmates Garrett Blenkush (3.51, aeronautical engineering) and Ryan Ioanidis (3.51, political science/foreign area studies) claimed their first USTFCCCA All-Academic honor in track and field, although Ioanidis has received All-Academic honors twice in cross country. In all, five of the seven Air Force representatives were first-time honorees, as sophomore Philip Hundl (3.68, operations research), classmate Katie Thompson (3.79, biochemistry) and freshman Bryce Lentz (3.30, geospatial science) rounded out the Falcons' list of award winners.
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, the Air Force women were one of more than 150 Division I teams to earn academic honors from the USTFCCCA this afternoon, as the association recognizes teams that maintain a cumulative grade-point-average of 3.00 or higher, based on the USTFCCCA formula. The women completed the 2022 season with a 3.17 GPA – the highest average of its four-year run.
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