Jeff Scull, Aulton Kohn, Dan Busby, Bernard Bush and Jordan Davis all helped fabricate Syracuse's BIG EAST best nine 2008 Division I All-Academic Track & Field as selected by the USTFCCCA.
Syracuse Best in BIG EAST with Nine 2008 Division I All-Academic Track and Field Members
8/6/2008 3:42:49 PM | Track and Field
NEW ORLEANS, La. – Following Tuesday's declaration of four Syracuse women being named to the women's 2008 Division I All-Academic Track & Field team, five Orange tracksters were elected to the men's 2008 Division I All-Academic Track & Field team on Wednesday, August 6, by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCA).
Graduates Jordan Davis and Aulton Kohn, seniors Bernard Bush and Jeff Scull and junior Dan Busby comprised SU's line-up for the men's 2008 Division I All-Academic Track & Field Team. The USTFCCCA honors Division I individuals for their academic and athletic achievements during the indoor and outdoor track and field seasons.
Syracuse's nine members of the 2008 Men's and Women's All-Academic Track & Field Teams led the BIG EAST Conference. Villanova and West Virginia each had five student-athletes on the two squads, while Marquette placed three. DePaul, Cincinnati, Connecticut, Notre Dame and USF each had two student-athletes named to the lists.
"I am extremely proud of both our men and women's track & field teams," Syracuse head coach Chris Fox stated. "I am just pleased to have contended so well in a conference that puts forth some of the strongest competition in the country. This will certainly set a benchmark for this year's squad and I am a confident they will rise to the challenge once again."
A record total of 468 student-athletes representing 140 Division I institutions composed the women's team, while a record total of 266 student-athletes representing 111 Division I institutions made up the men's team. Of the 32 student-athletes from the BIG EAST, 24 were women and eight were men.
To qualify for the USTFCCCA All-Academic Track & Field Team, the student-athlete must have compiled a cumulative grade point average of 3.25 and have met either the NCAA Division I Indoor automatic or provisional qualifying standard or the NCAA Division I Outdoor regional or national qualifying standard in their respective event.
Davis, a regional finalist, qualified for the 2008 IC4A meet by posting a sixth-place time of 3:45.11 at the Stanford Invitational. Davis will reunite with Coach Fox as an assistant coach this season.
Kohn captured the 100m crown at the BIG EAST Championship by bolting to a mark of 10.46. Kohn's 2008 title was his second career outdoor championship and the fifth of his career overall. He claimed the 2007 outdoor championship in the 200m dash, the 2005 and 2006 indoor titles in the 60m, and the 2007 indoor crown in the 200m dash.
Long-jump specialist Bush secured a third-place listing at the IC4A Championship, skipping to a season-best length of 7.40m. At last year's BIG EAST Championship, Bush locked down 12th place in the triple jump, clearing 14.17m.
Scull, a member of the ESPN The Magazine Men’s Cross Country/Track & Field Academic All-America Second Team, has a laundry list of accomplishments to write home about from last season. Scull finished third in the 5,000m run with a time of 14:17.42 at the IC4As and was eighth at the BIG EAST Championship with a time of 14:38.94. Scull finished seventh in the 5,000m run with a NCAA provisional-qualifying time of 14:02.39 at the Stanford Invitational. The junior also ran the 10,000m run in 29:57.04, good for a fifth-place finish at the BIG EAST Championship.
In addition to his track & field exploits, Scull was an automatic qualifier for the 2007 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championship and earned All-BIG EAST honors. He claimed All-Northeast Region accolades in 2006 and 2007 and was tabbed ECAC Male Performer of the Week in 2006.
Scull's 2008 USTFCCCA All-Academic Team nomination is the second of his career.
Busby, a first-place finisher at the Raleigh Relays, also staked his claim to the IC4A meet by asserting himself at the Larry Ellis Invitational, placing second with a time of 14:09.14. The junior completed the 10,000m run at the BIG EAST Championship, with an eighth-place time of 30:31.25.
"All five of them represent what our institution stands for day in and day out," Fox said. "The addition of their names to the men's 2008 Division I All-Academic Track & Field Team is just an affirmation of what each of them symbolize."
The University of Nebraska led all institutions with nine student-athletes on the men's All-Academic Team, followed closely by Oregon and Stanford, each with eight student-athletes.
Just as the women made waves by recording the 14th-highest grade point average (3.402) in the country to earn the 2008 USTFCCCA All-Academic Track & Field team status, the Orange men also qualified as a 2008 USTFCCCA All-Academic Track & Field team with a 3.003 GPA. SU was just one of 48 men's Division I programs to be awarded that distinction.
The selection of the All-Academic Indoor and Outdoor Scholar Teams of the Year is based on a combination of academic and athletic achievements with the top honor going to the team that had the combination of best overall finish at the Division I Indoor and/or Outdoor Championships and cumulative GPA.
The Big 12 Conference and the Ivy League led all conferences with five teams selected as All-Academic Teams for 2008, followed by the Atlantic Coast Conference, the BIG EAST Conference, the Big Sky Conference, the Summit League, and the Western Athletic Conference with three team selections each.
To be nominated, the team must carry a minimum 3.0 cumulative grade-point average.
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