USTFCCCA Division III Men's Track & Field All-Academic Teams
USTFCCA Division III Men's Track & Field All-Academic Athletes
HAVERFORD, Pa. – The Haverford College men's track & field team has been named a 2019-20 All-Academic Team, the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) announced in a postseason release on Thursday morning. This season marks the 14th time in the past 15 seasons the Fords have earned this honor since the association combined the indoor and outdoor season into one award. To earn the USTFCCCA Academic Team Honor, a squad must have a cumulative GPA of 3.10 or higher. Overall, there were 150 different programs honored for their academic excellence in 2019-20.
In addition to the team recognition, junior Matt Katz was named an All-Academic Athlete, becoming one of 325 men's track & field athletes from 107 different institutions to earn the plaudit.
To qualify for this honor, a student-athlete must have compiled a cumulative grade point average of 3.30. The student-athlete must also have qualified for either the indoor or outdoor NCAA track championships or finished a season ranked in the top 50 nationally in an individual event or top 35 in a relay event. Katz previously picked up USTFCCCA All-Region designation for the mile as well as the distance medley relay. The Fine Arts and Growth & Structure of Cities double major is no stranger to academic recognition as he was previously named to the Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Area team for track & field in April.
Katz, a product of Huntington, N.Y., took the 11th seed nationally in the indoor mile (4:14.29), and was named an All-American after the USTFCCCA bestowed that recognition upon all entrants to the Division III indoor championships due to the cancellation of the event forced by the COVID-19 pandemic. The academic award caps an impressive 2019-20 campaign that featured three Centennial Conference Indoor Track Athlete of the Week awards. Katz emerged quickly as one of the best milers in the nation during the indoor season and posted the 17th-best mark in all of Division III at the Keogh Invitational on the Haverford campus in January.
Earlier this year, Haverford had 17 student-athletes honored on the Centennial Conference Academic Honor Roll during both the indoor and outdoor track & field seasons.