2000-2001 News ArchivesGreenville College Runners Capture National Academic HonorsFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 10/20/00 The 2000 and 2001 Greenville College Cross Country and Track teams continue to accumulate honors. The September issue of the NCAA News announced the outdoor track and field All-Academic teams for last spring, ranking Greenville’s women in the top 10 in the nation. Their team GPA of 3.384 in 1999-2000 was good enough for 10th in the nation among Division III schools. This fall, as of October 10, the Greenville College men’s cross country team has earned a national ranking of 23rd among NCAA Division III schools, and 6th place in the Midwest Region. This gives Greenville its first ever NCAA top 25 athletic ranking. The announcement of the women’s top ten All-Academic ranking for spring 2000 follows last year’s combined men’s and women’s ranking of 9th in the nation and the men’s 1st place ranking in NCAA Division III in cross country (for the fall 1999 semester). Coach Brian Patton shared his pride in the girls: "The guys had kind of taken over academically [last year], so it’s good to see the girls get back on top." The nine schools ranked above Greenville in GPA for the spring 2000 track season were Whitworth (3.616), George Fox (3.56), Nebraska Wesleyan (3.50), Hamline (3.493), Hope (4.48), MIT (3.48), Wittenburg (3.416), Ithaca (3.392), and Emory (3.39). In cross country last fall, the women had four Academic All-Americans on the team, and the men had six. Not only are the men and women putting Greenville on the map academically, but they have continued to break personal and school records at every cross country meet this fall. At their last meet on October 7th at Washington University, the men placed 6th and the women 11th, with all but one runner setting personal records. The men defeated Depauw University, which is currently ranked 21st in the nation. Patton says of this fall’s cross country squads, "Everyone’s young and it’s really exciting to have them ranked in the top 25 for the first time, although I think they’re even better than that! We’ll just have to wait and see." Last spring the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) named Patton Coach of the Year. That brought his total to eight Coach of the Year awards in his six seasons of coaching two sports, cross country in the fall and track and field in the spring. He is quick to give God the glory for the success he and his teams have enjoyed. Greenville College is a four-year accredited Christian liberal arts school. Founded in 1892 and affiliated with the Free Methodist Church, the college is located in Greenville, Illinois, 45 miles east of St. Louis. -- END -- Last updated: November
6, 2000 |