Colorado University Athletics
Erin Clark and Ben Saarel earned their fourth USTFCCCA All-Academic XC honor
Photo by: Ken Moreland
Seven Buffs Garner USTFCCCA All-Academic Honors
February 09, 2017 | Cross Country
NEW ORLEANS — The University of Colorado men's and women's cross country teams placed seven individuals on the USTFCCCA's All-Academic Teams for the 2016 season.
Senior Ben Saarel recorded his fourth USTFCCCA Academic honor after placing 21st at the NCAA Championships for his fourth straight All-America athletic honor. A double major in engineering physics and computer science, Saarel has accumulated an impressive 3.967 GPA.
Redshirt freshman Joe Klecker was the other male who recorded the academic honor, earning a 3.27 GPA while majoring in chemistry.
The CU women placed five individuals on the academic team. A pair of Buffs, senior Erin Clark and freshman Sage Hurta, made the team with GPAs of 4.00. A four-time USTFCCCA All-Academic team member, Clark recorded her perfect GPA while working towards her master's degree in educational foundations, policy and practices. Hurta is majoring in chemical and biological engineering.
Junior Kaitlyn Benner, a chemical and biological engineering major, has earned a 3.92 GPA for her third straight USTFCCCA Academic honor. Sophomore Mackenzie Caldwell was named to the team with a 3.88 GPA while majoring in marketing and sophomore Makena Morley was also selected to the team after earning a 3.51 GPA while majoring in anthropology.
Honorees must have compiled a cumulative GPA or 3.25 or greater and must have finished as an All-American (top 40) or among the 15 finishers (or 10 percent) in their regional meet.
As a team, the men and women also earned All-Academic honors. The women's team recorded a 3.25 cumulative GPA, while the men recorded a 3.21 cumulative GPA. To qualify for the honor, teams must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher.
USTFCCCA Men's Cross Country All-Academic
USTFCCCA Women's Cross Country All-Academic
Senior Ben Saarel recorded his fourth USTFCCCA Academic honor after placing 21st at the NCAA Championships for his fourth straight All-America athletic honor. A double major in engineering physics and computer science, Saarel has accumulated an impressive 3.967 GPA.
Redshirt freshman Joe Klecker was the other male who recorded the academic honor, earning a 3.27 GPA while majoring in chemistry.
The CU women placed five individuals on the academic team. A pair of Buffs, senior Erin Clark and freshman Sage Hurta, made the team with GPAs of 4.00. A four-time USTFCCCA All-Academic team member, Clark recorded her perfect GPA while working towards her master's degree in educational foundations, policy and practices. Hurta is majoring in chemical and biological engineering.
Junior Kaitlyn Benner, a chemical and biological engineering major, has earned a 3.92 GPA for her third straight USTFCCCA Academic honor. Sophomore Mackenzie Caldwell was named to the team with a 3.88 GPA while majoring in marketing and sophomore Makena Morley was also selected to the team after earning a 3.51 GPA while majoring in anthropology.
Honorees must have compiled a cumulative GPA or 3.25 or greater and must have finished as an All-American (top 40) or among the 15 finishers (or 10 percent) in their regional meet.
As a team, the men and women also earned All-Academic honors. The women's team recorded a 3.25 cumulative GPA, while the men recorded a 3.21 cumulative GPA. To qualify for the honor, teams must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher.
USTFCCCA Men's Cross Country All-Academic
| Name | Yr. | Major | Hometown |
| Joe Klecker | Fr. | Chemistry | Hopkins, Minn. |
| Ben Saarel | Sr. | Engineering Physics & Computer Science | Salt Lake City, Utah |
USTFCCCA Women's Cross Country All-Academic
| Name | Yr. | Major | Hometown |
| Kaitlyn Benner | Jr. | Chemical and Biological Engineering | Superior, Colo. |
| Mackenzie Caldwell | So. | Marketing | Columbus, Ind. |
| Erin Clark | Sr. | Educational Foundations, Policy and Practices | Eugene, Ore. |
| Sage Hurta | Fr. | Chemical and Biological Engineering | Hamilton, N.Y. |
| Makena Morley | So. | Anthropology | Bigfork, Mont. |
Players Mentioned
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