RELEASED: Jan. 27, 2005

DANVILLE, KY—The Centre College men's and women's cross-country teams may have accomplished their greatest feat after the season ended. Both teams have been selected as Academic All-America teams for their effort during the 2004 fall term.

A team must have at least a cumulative 3.0 GPA to qualify for academic All-America status. The men's fall GPA was 3.13 and the women finished the semester with a 3.17 average. Along with achieving high grades, both teams faired extremely well in the 2004 season.

The men's team placed in the top-10 in six of its eight meets and also qualified for the NCAA Division III championships for the first time in school history. The men won two meets to begin the year, the Sewanee Invitational and the Centre Invitational. The women's team also had a stellar year, placing first in its own meet and placing in the top-10 six times.

"It's a blessing to coach student-athletes who are talented on the course and in the classroom—a combination that's not easy to find," says Lisa Owens, head men's and women's cross-country coach. "Our student-athletes are dedicated and hardworking. They pursue excellence in every aspect of their lives and achieve it."

In addition to team honors, five students achieve individual Academic All-America honors.

Junior Mark Noll (pictured above) of Lexington, Ky., and freshmen Nate Blank of Frakes, Ky., and John Thompson of Owensboro, Ky., were named academic All-Americans.

Blank posted four top-10 finishes and had a season-best time of 25:57 at the Greater Louisville Classic, a time, which ranks him second on Centre's all-time individual 8K times.

Noll placed in the top-10 four times as well. He placed third at the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Championship (26:40) and fifth at the Regional meet (26:58).

Thompson placed fourth at the Centre Invitational, an individual season-best finish.

All three runners were also selected to the all-region team.

On the women's team, junior Lauren Arnold of Lexington, Ky., and sophomore Eileen Schilling of Louisville, Ky., were named Academic All-Americans.

Arnold had an individual season-best time at the SCAC championships by placing 12th with a time of 19:35. She also earned all-conference recognition and holds eight of the top 30 all-time 5K Centre times.

Schilling (pictured) is a two-time All-American, placing 33rd at the national meet in Wisconsin. She posted a career-best 18:32 mark at the Rhodes Invitational and holds the top five all-time Centre 5K times and eight of the top-10.

An individual must have at least a 3.5 GPA and finish in top 25 percent of the regional meet to qualify for Academic All-America. Along with Noll's fifth-place finish, Blank placed ninth (26:40) and Thompson placed 26th (27:56). Schilling placed second (22:56) and Arnold placed 21st (24.44) in the 6K regional meet.

"The athletic department and Centre College is very proud of the cross-country teams' accomplishments," says Gina Nicoletti, assistant athletic director at Centre. "This is a direct reflection of the student-athletes who attend Centre and of the job Lisa Owens is doing to recruit athletes who achieve in both areas. These students are a prime example of role model Division III student-athletes."

- end -

Founded in 1819, Centre College is ranked among the U.S. News top 50 national liberal arts colleges. Centre alumni, known for their nation-leading loyalty in annual financial support, include two U.S. vice presidents and two Supreme Court justices. For more, visit http://www.centre.edu/web/elevatorspeech/

For news archives go to http://www.centre.edu/web/news/newsarchive.html.

Back to News and Events Home Page