Gators Cross Country Teams Recognized with USTFCCCA All-Academic Team Accolades

NEW ORLEANS – After a great 2021 season that saw many times etched in the record book, numerous personal records and a top-30 individual nationals finish, both the men’s and women’s cross country teams, as well as Parker Valby and Stephanie Ormsby, were recognized by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) on Thursday afternoon for their academic achievements.

The women’s team posted a cumulative GPA of 3.47 and the men’s team collected a cumulative GPA of 3.46 to gain to make the USTFCCCA All-Academic Team.

Both Valby (Sport Management) and Ormsby (Applied Physiology & Kinesiology) not only had success on the cross country courses in the 2021 season, but they were honored for their academic achievements after being the only two Gators named to the All-Academic Team.

Valby and Ormsby collected All-Region performances after finishing second and 16^th, respectively, at the regional meet. With her silver medal outing, Valby qualified for nationals where she led the talented pack of 255 runners for the first 4k of the race. She placed 27^th overall to gain All-American recognition. For her efforts on the season, Valby was named SEC Freshman Runner of the Year, an award only won by a Gator three times in program history.

On the men’s side, 150 programs were named to the All-Academic Team, while 168 women’s programs made the cut. To qualify for USTFCCCA All-Academic honors, teams must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better in the most recent grading period.

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