Thursday, July 28, 2016

By UAA Media Relations

NEW ORLEANS – Alaska Anchorage senior Cody Thomas was named the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year for men’s NCAA Div. II outdoor field Thursday as the USTFCCCA unveiled its individual academic honors for the 2016 season.

Thomas paced UAA’s contingent of seven men and 10 women to receive USTFCCCA All-Academic Individual status as the Blenheim, New Zealand, native became the first Seawolf to win the USTFCCCA’s top national award for academic excellence in the 10-year history of the honor. 

The reigning national champion in the decathlon, Thomas joined Lincoln (Mo.) University’s Sedeekie Edie (indoor field) and Adams State’s Oliver Aitchison (indoor & outdoor track) as the men’s Scholar-Athletes of the Year for 2016. A native of Blenheim, New Zealand, Thomas graduated from UAA in May with a 3.47 overall grade-point average in marketing. 

Thomas was joined among the 294 total men’s all-academic individual honorees by teammates Joe Day, Tevin Gladden, Nathan Kipchumba, Liam Lindsay, Michael Mendenhall and Nicholas Taylor. On the women’s side, UAA’s Karolin Anders, Jamie Ashcroft, Hayley Bezanson, Mariah Burroughs, Mary-Kathleen Cross, Yvonne Jeschke, Caroilne Kurgat, Danielle McCormick, Jessica Pahkala and Tamara Perez were recognized among the 483 honorees on that list.

To qualify for the USTFCCCA All-Academic Track & Field teams, a student-athlete must have compiled a cumulative grade point average of 3.25 and have reached a provisional or automatic qualifying standard for the NCAA Championships in either the indoor or outdoor seasons.