PORTLAND, Ore. --- The Portland men's and women's cross country teams each had three Pilots earn USTFCCCA All-Academic, the association announced on Thursday. Seniors Nick Hauger, Noah Schutte, and Michael Somers each earned All-Academic honors for the men, while Lauren LaRocco, Taryn Rawlings, and Aoibhe Richardson claimed the honor for the women.
 
Hauger (Biology, 3.25) had an incredible senior season on the course, claiming both the WCC and West Regional Individual title, before finishing 40^th at the NCAA championships to secure his second XC All-American performance and lead Portland to their second consecutive podium finish. Somers (Sociology, 3.7) was the fifth man to cross the finish line for the Pilots at the NCAAs, finishing 57^th overall, while Schutte (Operations & Tech Management, 3.98) placed 124^th. Both Pilots along with Hauger also earned All-West Region honors after Portland defended their West Region title, with Somers finishing 20^th, and Schutte just behind him in 21^st.
 
LaRocco (Biomedical Engineering, 3.72) posted UP's best finish ever for an individual at the NCAA Championships, finishing 13^th overall and garnering her fifth career All-American honor. Rawlings (Business Admin, 3.72) also had an exceptional 2018 season claiming her first XC All-American honor and a 26^th place finish. Richardson was the third Pilot to cross the finish line for the women in 57^th place, and was named to the All-West Region team with a 19^th place finish at the West Regional.
 
The Portland women tied for an overall ninth place finish in the team academic standings with a 3.72 cumulative GPA. They also had the highest GPA out of all the teams that placed in the top-12 at the NCAA Championships.
 
"I'm so proud of our team. This really shows what our program is all about, not just finishing 12^th at nationals with two All-Americans but also having one of the top 10 GPAs in the nation. We will continue to think big both athletically and academically because that's what University of Portland is all about."
 
Overall, there were 427 teams that earned All-Academic distinction. Radford University's women had the best GPA of the bunch at 3.87, while Southern Illinois University had the best GPA out of any men's team at 3.67.
 
There was also 267 student-athletes who earned USTFCCCA All-Academic honors with women accounting for 58.4 percent of the total (156). Arkansas led all programs with 13 combined individuals honored, including all seven of its women.
 
In order to qualify for All-Academic distinction, student-athletes must have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25 on a 4.0 scale and finish in the top-25 (or 10 percent) at the NCAA Regional Championships or as an All-American at the NCAA Championships.