Lander Athletics
Hunter Julius
GREENWOOD – The Lander women’s and men’s cross country programs saw five student-athletes selected to the Peach Belt Conference Women’s Cross Country Team of Academic Distinction presented by Barnes & Nobles College, as announced by the conference office on Wednesday.
In women’s cross county, sophomores Mia Cranksfield, Melanie Murray and Missy O’Toole all earned honors this season.
Cranksfield, a public administration major with a 3.90 GPA, took part in all three races in the regular season along with a ninth-place finish at the USC Aiken Invitational.
Murray, who has a 3.91 GPA, finished second among Bearcat runners in both races she competed in.
O’Toole, a health promotions major with a 4.0 GPA, ran in two races in the regular season for Lander.
For the men, juniors Chase Couch and Trent Powers both earned honors this season.
Couch, a physical education major with a 3.46 GPA, ran in all three regular-season races for the Bearcats which included a third-place finish at the USC Aiken Invitational.
Powers, a computer information systems major with a 3.94 GPA, led the Bearcats in all three regular season races this season. This is the second time in as many years that Powers has been named to the Team of Academic Distinction.
To be eligible, a student-athlete must 1) participate in at least half of his/her team’s events and be either a starter or significant contributor; 2) achieved a 3.30 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) and 3) completed at least one full academic year at his or her current institution and has reached sophomore athletic eligibility. The Peach Belt Conference Sports Information Directors oversee the program.
Lander runs at the Peach Belt Conference Championship on Saturday, Nov. 14 at North Georgia.