Colorado University Athletics
Pearson Named Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of The Year
October 29, 2015 | Cross Country
BOULDER – University of Colorado senior Morgan Pearson has been named the Pac-12 Men's Cross Country Scholar-Athlete of the Year, announced Thursday afternoon by the conference. The award, which is presented in each of the 23 sports the Pac-12 sponsors, was established to honor collegiate student-athletes that are standouts both academically and in their sports discipline.
Pearson, a 2013 All-American and the first Buffalo to receive the award, has accumulated a 3.45 grade point average while majoring in mathematics and economics. He redshirted the 2014 season, but in 2013 he earned USTFCCCA All-Academic and Pac-12 All-Academic Second Team honors.
Pearson has had successful 2015 campaign so far. He was the runner-up at the Rocky Mountain Shootout, finishing second to teammate Pierce Murphy, and followed that up with a 15th place finish at NCAA Pre-Nationals as CU's No. 4 harrier.
As a member of the team in 2013, he placed 17th at the NCAA Championship, helping CU to its first of two straight NCAA team championship titles. Pearson also placed 16th at regionals to earn All-Mountain Region honors and was 18th at the Pac-12 Championship.
Pearson, who transferred from Duke, also raced for the Buffs in 2012. He finished 18th at the league championship and then was 34th at regionals. Pearson served as the alternate at nationals.
In order to be eligible for the Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year award, student-athletes must be a senior (in athletics eligibility) on track to receive a degree, have a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher, participate in at least 50 percent of the scheduled contests in the sport and have a minimum one year in residence at the institution. Each Pac-12 institution may nominate one individual per sport, and the winners are selected by a committee of Pac-12 staff members at the conclusion of each sport's regular season.
The 2015 Pac-12 Cross Country Championships are Friday, Oct. 30, in Colfax, Wash. The CU men's team is ranked No. 1 and has won all four Pac-12 team championships since joining the Pac-12 in 2011. The women's team is ranked third nationally and is the highest ranked Pac-12 women's team. For more information, go to Pac-12.com or CUBuffs.com/crosscountry.
