2014 USTFCCCA All-Academic Individuals

NEW ORLEANS -- In a Wednesday announcement, Academy of Art University Men's and Women's Cross Country runners Valentin Pepiot and McKaela Christenson were each awarded 2014 U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association All-Academic honors.

"Valentin and McKaela are deserving recipients of this award," said head coach Torrey Olson. "They embody the belief that maintaining a high expectation of achievement serves best when applied equally to all undertakings rather than just to sport or your favorite class. I'm very proud of them both."

To qualify as an USTFCCCA All-Academic Cross Country individual, the student-athlete must have compiled a cumulative grade point average of 3.25 and and finished among the top 30 percent of total eligible runners at his or her NCAA regional championship (total Division II teams in the region multiplied by seven runners per team) or in the top half of the field at the NCAA Championships.

While working towards a 3.925 GPA in Music Production & Sound Design for Visual Media this past fall, Pepiot became the second male ART U runner to reach NCAA Nationals after being named Pacific West Conference Newcomer of the Year and PacWest Runner of the Week on three occasions. He finished 15th at Regionals and was the highest finisher from the PacWest at Nationals. During the regular season, Pepiot won two events and was the top-DII finisher at the Stanford Invitational and Bronco Invitational. He also earned USTFCCCA Division II National Athlete of the Week on Sept. 29.

En route to her 3.825 GPA in Fashion Design last semester, Christenson earned the honor of PacWest Freshman of the Year and placed 19th at NCAA Regionals. She was the top freshman finisher at the PacWest Championship, marking her third top-10 result in a 2014 campaign that included second place at the Lancer Invitational in her collegiate debut. She won PacWest Freshman of the Week twice.

Pepiot was one of 208 men representing 97 institutions and Christenson was one of 262 women from 122 institutions who earned this distinguished USTFCCCA All-Academic honor for their combined academic and athletic accomplishments.