Track Ranked 22nd Academically
FAYETTEVILLE – Sophomore Maureen Scott and the University of Arkansas Lady Razorback track team ranked 22nd in the nation in academics last season with a cumulative 3.233 grade point average according to the National Collegiate Division I Track Coaches Association’s 2004 all-Academic Team selections.
The Southeastern Conference Champion in the steeplechase and the SEC scholar-athlete of the year, Scott was one of just 12 student-athletes to post a perfect 4.00 GPA. She led a contingent of eight Lady Razorbacks onto the USTCA’s individual honors list, a distinction only surpassed by two other schools. Joining Scott on the list were junior Laura Jakosky, 3.93; senior Shannon Spaulding, 3.88; junior Alison Zeinner, 3.82; freshman Sarah Saffa, 3.79; senior Jessica Johnson, 3.77; junior Shiloh Whiting, 3.39; and senior Jennifer (Culp) Lincoln, 3.31.
“I am really proud to be associated with such a fine group of young women,” Arkansas head coach Lance Harter said. “They epitomize what it means to be a student-athlete. To have 36 women average more than a 3.2 grade point average is phenomenal. It is a tribute to all of their hard work and dedication, not just to their sport, but to the classroom as well.”
Arkansas’ eight student-athletes on the 201-person honor roll ranked fourth among the 59 universities represented, and tied the University of Florida for tops among SEC schools. The Lady Razorbacks have been a major part of the Track Coaches Association’s academic lists for years, even claiming the honor of top team in the nation in 2002 when they posted a cumulative 3.28 GPA and finished 10th in the nation at the NCAA Indoor Championships.
Overlooked by many during the 2004 season, Arkansas enjoyed a fine year by taking the SEC Outdoor Track Championship, their 16th SEC crown since joining the league in 1992. Their 16 championship trophies are the second most by any other program in the history of the conference and far surpass the next closest challenger when looked at since Arkansas became a SEC member.
