Four Cougars named to USTFCCCA All-Academic teams

PROVO, Utah – The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) named Kramer Morton, Laura Young Bluth, Olivia Hoj and Ashleigh Warner to the 2017 NCAA Division I All-Academic teams.

Student-athlete nominations for the individual honors must have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25 and have finished in the top 25 (top 10 percent) at regionals or as an All-American at nationals (top-40 finish).

Morton is a sophomore majoring in business management and holds a cumulative 3.42 GPA. He placed 20th overall at the Mountain Region Championships with a time of 30:51.8 (10k) to help the BYU men’s cross country team take second. Morton competed at the NCAA Cross Country Championships for BYU and clocked a personal-best 30:21.64 as the Cougars recorded a third-place finish.

Bluth, Hoj and Warner each contributed to BYU women's cross country’s third-place finish (6k) at the Mountain Region Championships and an 11th-place finish at the NCAA Cross Country Championships. This marks the first time since 1999 that the BYU cross country team has had three female athletes named to an USTFCCCA All-Academic women's team.

Bluth ran a 20:22.1 to finish with the top time for BYU and the ninth-fastest individual time at the Mountain Region Championships. The senior has a GPA of 3.74 and is a family life major. Bluth finished her senior season at the NCAA Cross Country Championships with the third-fastest time for BYU with the time of 20:34.06.

Hoj is majoring in public health and has an overall GPA of 3.90. The sophomore finished in 24th place at the Mountain Region Championships with a time of 20:55.7. She finished up the season at the NCAA Cross Country Championships running a 20:54.60 to finish 124th overall.

Warner is a senior majoring in exercise and wellness with a cumulative GPA of 3.76. She ran the fourth-fastest times for BYU in both the Mountain Region Championships and the NCAA Cross Country Championships. Warner finished 24th overall at the Mountain Regional Championships with a time of 20:56.3 and she ran a 20:49.84 to finish 114th at the NCAA Cross Country Championships.

The full release of the 2017 NCAA Division I All-Academic teams can be found on the USTFCCCA’s website.