Five Cavaliers Named to All-ACC Academic Cross Country Teams
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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Five Cavaliers were named to the 2008 All-ACC Academic Cross Country Teams as announced today by the conference office. Three-time honoree senior Andrew Jesien (Bethesda, Md.) was named to the men’s team, while All-ACC performers senior Lauretta Dezubay (Bethlehem, Pa.) and junior Stephanie Garcia (South Riding, Va.) – a two-time honoree – were joined by junior Samantha Stafford (Charlottesville, Va.) and freshman Morgane Gay (Bethesda, Md.) on the women’s team.
To be eligible for consideration, a student-athlete must have earned a 3.00 grade point average for the previous semester and maintained a 3.00 cumulative average during his or her academic career.
Jesien helped the men’s team to a 14th-place showing at the NCAA Championships, finishing 158th in a time of 31:22.0. He also grabbed a 31st-place finish at the NCAA East Regionals to help automatically qualify the men’s squad into nationals, with a second-place team finish.
Dezubay picked up back-to-back individual titles to open the season, winning the Lou Onesty and George Mason Invitational races. She earned All-ACC honors with her 10th-place finish and was the Cavaliers’ top finisher at the regional meet, leading the team to its first-ever Southeast Region title and her first All-Southeast Region honor.
Garcia led the Cavaliers at the conference meet, earning All-ACC honors with an eighth-place finish. She followed that up with a ninth-place finish at the regional meet, helping the women to the title and an automatic berth into the NCAA Championships.
Stafford scored in the final four races for the Cavaliers, finishing 43rd at ACCs and 28th at the Southeast Regional.
Gay finished runner-up to Dezubay at the George Mason Invitational – her first collegiate race. She was the second freshman across the line at the conference meet, and was the top freshman at regionals, earning All-Southeast Region honors. She also claimed 108th at nationals to help the women’s team to a 26th-place finish.