SAN BRUNO, Calif. ---The West Coast Conference announced its 2019Men's and Women's Cross Country All-Academic Teams on Wednesday, and a staggering total of 24 Pilots earned either first-team or honorable mention recognition. The WCC's All-Academic Teams feature student-athletes who excelled this year both on the course and in the classroom.
Portland sophomore Sofia Castiglioni landed on the all-academic first team for the women, and All-American senior Caleb Webb was named to the men's first team.
On the men's side, six WCC institutions were represented across the board on the All-Academic Team, showcased by three student-athletes from 2019 NCAA Champion BYU on the first team. Gonzaga and Pepperdine each had a pair of student-athletes on the 10-member first team.
This year's squad features just one repeat appearances, BYU's Jacob Heslington. A conference-record nine runners are making their All-Academic debuts, including Portland's All-American senior Caleb Webb.
An outstanding 45 student-athletes qualified for academic honors with 25 posting a GPA of at least 3.50, while a conference record 20 posted marks of 3.75 or better.
For the women, Eight WCC institutions were represented across the board on the All-Academic First Team, showcased by a pair of student-athletes from 2019 NCAA National Runner-Up BYU and Pepperdine.
This year's squad features three repeat appearances led by Pepperdine senior Tatum Rask, making her third and final appearance for the Waves. BYU's Erika Birk-Jarvis and Olivia Hoj claim spots on the first team for the second straight season.
No fewer than 64 student-athletes qualified for academic honors – with 14 nominees from Portland and 10 from Santa Clara. A conference record 55 posted a GPA of at least 3.50, while a WCC-record 30 posted marks of 3.75 or better.
Five student-athlete compiled 4.0 GPAs, including two Portland standouts, Castiglioni and Ellee Becker.
At the conclusion of each athletic season, the WCC selects an all-academic squad for each WCC-sponsored sport. To be considered, a student-athlete must maintain at least a 3.20 cumulative grade point average, while also being a significant contributor to their team.
2019 WEST COAST CONFERENCE MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM
Name, School – Class, GPA, Major
Ben Davidson, Santa Clara – Senior, 3.63, Philosophy
Jackson Elkins, Pepperdine – Sophomore, 3.84, Philosophy
Phillip Fishburn, Gonzaga – Junior, 3.82, Computer Engineering
Jacob Heslington, BYU – Senior, 3.46, Mechanical Engineering
Conner Mantz, BYU – Sophomore, 3.84, Mechanical Engineering
Luke Mason, Gonzaga – Sophomore, 3.85, Computer Science
Matthew Owens, BYU – Junior, 3.95, Exercise & Wellness
Alex Riggsby, Saint Mary's – Senior, 3.77, Politics
Caleb Webb, Portland – Senior, 3.27, Biology
Karl Winter, Pepperdine – Sophomore, 4.00, Journalism
2019 WCC MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY ALL-ACADEMIC HONORABLE MENTIONS
BYU:Brandon Garnica, Michael Ottesen
GONZAGA:Dominic Arce, Andrew Clusserath, Ciaran O'Leary,
LMU:Kyle Friedler, Ethan Frisone, Weston Hart, Max Smith
PEPPERDINE:Alex Egan, Jalen Frantal, Preston Gromer, Kyle McCabe
PORTLAND: Leo Donlea, Joseph Horen, John Kavulich, Aaron Letcher, Trent Mazelli, Emmanuel Roudolff-Levisse, Matthew Schumann, Cole Shugart, Cameron Thompson
SAINT MARY'S:Thomas Bell, Anthony Vazquez
SAN DIEGO: Patrick Bruce, Nic Dinsdale, Joshua Thompson
SAN FRANCISCO:Jacob Hernandez, Daniel Maneloveg
SANTA CLARA:Spencer Fischer, Brendan Jones, Ian Kirk, Brennan Lagerstrom, Connor Lehl, Christian Raslowsky
2019 WEST COAST CONFERENCE WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM
Name, School – Class, GPA, Major
Erica Birk-Jarvis, BYU – Senior, 3.62, Family Life
Kendall Bietsch, Pacific – Senior, 3.96, Health & Exercise
Sofia Castiglioni, Portland – Sophomore, 4.00, Biology
Olivia Hoj, BYU – Senior, 3.94, Public Health
Emma McCurry, Santa Clara – Junior, 3.93, Bioengineering
Claire Manley, Gonzaga – Junior, 3.66, Business Administration
Abigayle Mitchell, Saint Mary's – Junior, 3.93, Global Studies
Cori Persinger, Pepperdine – Senior, 3.93, Hispanic Studies
Tatum Rask, Pepperdine – Senior, 3.88, Mathematics
Hannah Rasmussen, San Diego – Junior, 3.95, Physics
2019 WCC WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY ALL-ACADEMIC HONORABLE MENTIONS
BYU:Amanda Erickson, Alissa Fielding, Aubrey Frentheway, Kate Hunter, McKenna Lee, Rachel Morrin
GONZAGA:Ariel Evans, Claire Gillett, Ally Legard
LMU:Rosie Cruz, Kyla Danforth, Raina Hines, Ann Kelly, Hannah Wohlenberg
PACIFIC:Jasmine Gonzalez, Anna Martinez, Saira Purhar
PEPPERDINE:Izabela Garcia-Arce, Annelies Ondersma, Key Pearson, Riley Wright
PORTLAND: Emily Bechen, Ellee Becker, Lacey Conner, Ellie Erikson, Jasmine Fehr, Madeleine Lyons, Ellie Misuraca, Alexandra Newsom, Grace Oswin, Grace Perkins, Grace Ritchie, Natalie Smith, Allegra VanderWilde
SAINT MARY'S:Ellen Burbank, Kaela Dishion, Emma McCarthy, Kathryn Watson
SAN DIEGO:Molly Klein, Kate Kohler, Madison Lambros, Cammy Manes
SAN FRANCISCO:Aoibhe Richardson, Josien Scheepens
SANTA CLARA:Kalen Abe, Claire Cocales, Hannah Covington, Sarah King, Ellie Kopf, Janie Nabholz, Kayla Neumann, Noelani Obermeyer, Hope Olbricht
