Track & Field Programs Honored For Academic Excellence

AMHERST, Mass. – University of Massachusetts men's and women's track and field teams have been recognized by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) as All-Academic Teams for the 2020 season, the organization announced recently. The Minutewomen also had two individuals honored as Jada Harris and Kira Kopec were among 659 women from 178 institutions named All-Academic Athletes.

Out of the 199 men's programs honored, UMass ranked 25^th in Division I with a 3.457 grade point average, while UMass was 76^th of 264 women's programs with a 3.536 GPA.

Here are the criteria for being named an All-Academic Team:

The cumulative GPA (not 2018-19 academic year, not semester) for all student-athletes on the institution's NCAA Squad List for Indoor and/or Outdoor Track and Field must be 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale, including the most recent grading period, certifiable by either NCAA Faculty Rep or NCAA Compliance Coordinator or Registrar's Office. Institutions utilizing a different GPA scale must convert the GPA to a 4.0 scale using the standard conversion method [GPA/Scale x 4.0].
The cumulative GPA of all student-athletes on the institution's NCAA Squad List for Indoor and/or Outdoor Track and Field must be computed by the following method:

Total the cumulative number of semester hours or quarter hours earned for all student-athletes on the NCAA Squad List, including the most recent grading period;
Total the cumulative number of quality points (GPA multiplied by the number of credit hours) earned by all student-athletes on the NCAA Squad List, including the most recent grading period;
Divide the cumulative number of quality points earned by the cumulative number of semester or quarter hours earned.

To earn All-Academic Athlete status, individuals must hold a 3.25 cumulative GPA or higher and have completed at least two semesters or three quarters at their institution while also finishing the 2019-20 indoor season ranked in the top 96 in any championship individual event or in the top 48 in any championship relay event on the NCAA Division I descending order lists on TFRRS.

Harris, who majored in both social thought and political economy and communication, ranked 28^th on the NCAA's descending order list for high jump and 73^rd for 60 meter hurdles this past indoor season. Kopec, a microbiology major, ranked 65^th in pentathlon.

University of Massachusets Athletics

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Players Mentioned

Jada Harris

Kira Kopec

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