Six men and four women on Seattle U’s cross country team have been awarded Great West Conference Fall Academic All-Conference honors, the conference office announced Monday.
Seniors Hans Heitzinger (Scottsdale, Ariz.) and Michael Van Nuland (Newcastle, Wash.), juniors Erik Barkhaus (Whitefish Bay, Wisc.) and Matthew McClement (Bellingham, Wash.), and sophomores Ryan Dennison (Pacifica, Calif.) and Kelton Sears (Maple Valley, Wash.) are the Redhawk representatives on the men’s side. Heitzinger, a business administration major with a 3.47 GPA, Van Nuland, a chemistry/biology major with a 3.67 GPA, and McClement, a bio-chemistry major with a 3.41 GPA are all repeat selections. Barkhaus is an international business/business administration major with a 3.43 GPA, Dennison has earned a 3.53 GPA in liberal studies, and Sears currently has a 3.87 GPA in English/creative writing.
For the women, senior Allison Prather (Carpinteria, Calif.), who majors in psychology with a 3.73 GPA, and juniors Celeste Cassidy (Bellingham, Wash.), a cultural anthropology major with a 3.42 GPA, Ashley Dalton (Bellingham, Wash.), who is majoring in sport and exercise science with a 3.54 GPA, and Sarah Bolce (Sacramento, Calif.), who earned a 3.25 GPA in nursing, were selected. Each of the women was also selected for these honors last year.
“I’m proud of how many of our cross country runners made this list,” said head coach Trisha Steidl. “It’s a testament to how well they are able to manage their time and balance the demands of the classroom, as well as athletics.”
The GWC Academic All-Conference team is chosen based on a minimum cumulative 3.2 GPA and honorees must have participated in at least 50 percent of their team’s contests. Using the institutions’ most recent GPA, the student-athletes are selected by each member institution’s sports information director, with approval from the faculty athletic representative and the head coach. First-year students and JC transfers in their first year of residence are not eligible for the award.