Three Virginia Runners Named to All-ACC Academic Team
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.- Three runners from the Virginia men’s and women’s cross country team were named All-ACC Academic Cross Country Team selections the league office announced on Thursday (Jan. 31).
Freshman Abbey Green (Bethesda, Md.) represented the Cavalier women on the 2018 academic team, while graduate student Brent Demarest (Charleston, S.C.) and junior AJ Ernst (Marblehead, Mass.) were selected from the men’s team.
Green led the Virginia women’s team this season, earning an individual berth to the NCAA championships where she finished 95th overall. She advanced to the national meet after recording a seventh-place finish at the NCAA Southeast Regionals, fourth best by an individual not on an advancing team. At the ACC Championships, Green once again paced the team, finishing ninth overall. She concluded the year with All-ACC and All-Southeast Region honors.
Demarest advanced to the NCAA Championships as an individual. He was named an All-American with his 31st-place finish and became the second two-time All-American male cross country runner in school history. Additionally, Demarest paced Virginia with a sixth-place finish at the NCAA Southeast Regional Championships and a fourth-place finish the ACC Championships. He earned All-Southeast Region and All-ACC honors for his performance at the meets.
Ernst earned his first All-Southeast Region accolade, racing for a 13th-place finish at the regional site. His performance was the team’s second fastest as he helped the Cavaliers to a third-place team finish. During the season, Ernst aided the Cavaliers in winning the Penn State National Open, finishing eighth overall at the meet. He rounded out his season with a 35th-place finish at the ACC Championships.
Minimum academic requirements for selection to the All-ACC Academic Team are a 3.0 grade point average for the previous semester and a 3.0 cumulative average during one’s academic career. Athletic achievements during the most recent season are also considered in selecting the All-ACC Academic Team.
Virginia will return to action this Saturday (Feb. 2) as the men’s and women’s indoor track and field teams compete at the Liberty Flames Invite in Lynchburg, Va.