Cross Country Racks Up WCC All-Academic Honors
10/30/2015 12:00:00 AM | Cross Country
MALIBU, Calif. " Three members of Pepperdine's cross country teams earned West Coast Conference All-Academic first team honors, while an additional 15 student-athletes received honorable mention status, the league office announced today.
Senior Katie Engel (Honeoye Falls, N.Y./Honeoye Falls-Lima HS) earned a first team nod on the women's side, while junior Ben Fox (Colorado Springs, Colo./Cheyenne Mountain HS) and sophomore Kevin Maeda (Highland, Calif./Citrus Valley HS) received first team acclaim for the men.
It's the second straight year Fox has been on the first team. Engel received honorable mention status in 2013 and 2014. This is the first time Maeda has been honored.
In order to receive WCC All-Academic status, student-athletes must have a minimum 3.20 grade-point average, have at least sophomore standing and participate in at least 50 percent of the team's meets.
Receiving honorable mention status on the women's side were senior Stasia Demick (Seattle, Wash./Holy Names Academy), junior Kateryna Kononenko (Simferopol, Ukraine/North Broward Preparatory School), junior Elle Lemco (San Jose, Calif./Prospect HS), junior Meri-Claire Montgomery (Littleton, Colo./Dakota Ridge HS), senior Rachel Rant (Boise, Idaho/Boise HS), junior Lindsay Sheaffer (Portland, Ore./Jesuit HS), sophomore Chandler Smith (Placentia, Calif./El Dorado HS), junior Ellie Smith (Annapolis, Md./Broadneck HS), senior Kelly Smyth (Toms River, N.J./Toms River HS East), sophomore Amanda Stark (Fountain Valley, Calif./Fountain Valley HS) and sophomore Madelyn Whitaker (Parker, Texas).
This is Rant's third time on the honorable mention team, and it's the second time for Demick, Sheaffer, Ellie Smith and Smyth.
The four men who earned honorable mention honors were sophomores Kyle Cajero (Tucson, Ariz./Pusch Ridge Christian Academy), Dan Chiriaev (Campbell, Calif./Prospect HS), Rudy Gonzalez (Whittier, Calif./California HS) and Matt Zupan (Wildwood, Mo./Heritage Classical Christian Academy).
In Pepperdine Coach Robert Radnoti's 10 years in charge of cross country, he's now had student-athlete earn WCC All-Academic status 71 times. This year's 18 is the most he's had in any one season.
Pepperdine will run at the WCC Championships tomorrow (Saturday, Oct. 31). The meet, being hosted by Gonzaga, begins at 10 a.m. at the Plantes Ferry Park in Spokane, Wash. Live coverage will be provided by TheW.tv.
