Aug. 6, 2008

UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND - The University of Richmond men's and women's track and field programs have been recognized by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association for their outstanding academic standing. For the seventh-consecutive season, both teams have been honored as All-Academic Teams for posting a cumulative GPA above 3.0. Additionally, senior Jonathan Molz earned a spot on the Men's All-Academic Track & Field Team.

Led by Molz, the Spider men owned the nation's 15th-best GPA of 3.14 and were the flag-bearers among the Division-I schools in the Commonwealth of Virginia. They were also the only Atlantic 10 school to be named. The women's team GPA was 3.01 and was one of three A-10 schools, joining Dayton and La Salle.

"This is one of team's goals every year," said director of track & field and cross country Lori Taylor. "And we are proud to have achieved the honor on both the men's and women's side for seven consecutive years. To achieve this level of success on an annual basis shows the support systems and groups are in place to provide our student-athletes with the resources they need to succeed. That is important to everyone here at Richmond."

Molz developed into a premier distance runner over his career for the Spiders. He was crowned the Atlantic 10 Conference Champion in the 1,000m and Distance Medley Relay during his stint at Richmond.

As a senior this past season, the East Northport, N.Y. native qualified for the NCAA Regional Championships in the 3,000m steeplechase when he ran 9:04.76 to place third in the college division at the prestigious Penn Relays in Philadelphia. This fall he placed third at the A-10 Cross Country Championships leading his Spider team to a second-place team finish, their highest men's finish since joining the league in 2001.

Along with outstanding athletic achievement, Molz has excelled in the classroom. He graduates with high marks in psychology and has earned A-10 Academic All-Conference honors multiple times. He returns to the Spider this season as a volunteer assistant coach.

"Our men and women continue to excel as student-athletes," said men's head coach Steve Taylor. "We are proud of the athletic accomplishments of our program: A-10 team titles, multiple conference champions, NCAA Regional and National Qualifiers, and 91 individual records eclipsed in the last seven seasons.

"The University of Richmond offers strong academic programs and our athletes continue to show they are much more than athletes, they are just as good in the classroom. We are equally proud to represent our league and to have the men's team with the highest cumulative grade point average in the state of Virginia."