March 10, 2009

UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND - For the seventh season in a row, both the University of Richmond men's and women's cross teams earned the NCAA Academic All-America Award from the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. The team award comes just a week after juniors Matt Llano and Nicol Traynor earned individual Academic All-America honors.

For a team to be considered for the USTFCCCA All-Academic Team award, they must have competed and compiled a team score at an NCAA Regional Meet. The team must also have a minimum 3.00 team cumulative grade point average.

"We're very proud of the level of commitment these athletes make in the classroom and the hard work they put into their training to be among the best cross country and track & field athletes in the country," said Lori Taylor, Richmond's director of track & field and cross country.

Llano, who was also tabbed the A-10 Men's Cross Country Student-Athlete of the Year, sports a 3.65 cumulative GPA in psychology. Traynor holds a 3.41 GPA and finished 14th overall at the NCAA Southeast Regional.

The women finished eighth at the NCAA Southeast Regional on the heels of its 2008 A-10 Championship title. The team was one of five A-10 schools and one of 161 Division-I teams nationwide to earn the team Academic All-America honor. The men were also eighth at the NCAA Regional and one of just three A-10 schools recognized with the academic award.

Washington was awarded the USTFCCCA Women's Team of the Year, while Iona garnered Men's Team of the Year honors.