Aug. 10, 2015

NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame men’s and women’s track & field teams capped a successful 2015 season with a bevy of academic honors awarded by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.

Seven Fighting Irish women and six men earned USTFCCCA Academic All-American status for the 2015 season including freshmen Jessica Harris (American Studies and Economics) and Rachel Rhodes (Pre-Professional Studies), juniors Danielle Aragon (Science-Business), Margaret Bamgbose (Information Technology Management) and Molly Seidel (Anthropology) and seniors Amber Lalla (Biological Studies) and Emily Morris (Sociology) on the women’s side and sophomores Alex Groesch (Accounting and Chinese) and John Rutkowski (Business), junior Brent Swanberg (Business) and seniors Chris Giesting (Management Entrepreneurship), Jake Kildoo (Philosophy and Arabic) and Dominick Padovano (Design).

To qualify for the USTFCCCA All-Academic Track & Field team, a student-athlete must compile a cumulative GPA of 3.25 and meet either of the following athletic standards: finish among the national top 96 in an individual event or top 48 in a relay event during the indoor season, or must have participated in any round of the NCAA Division I Championships.

In addition to the individuals honored, both Irish track & field squads were named USTFCCCA All-Academic teams for earning a cumulative team GPA of 3.00 or higher. The Irish women posted a 3.33 GPA during the 2014-15 school year, while the men carried a 3.30 GPA.

To keep up with all things Irish track & field, follow @NDXCTF on Twitter and like Notre Dame Cross Country/Track & Field on Facebook.

By Joanne Norell, Athletics Communications Assistant

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