11 Gators Named to USTFCCCA All-Academic Teams
Wednesday, July 25, 2012 | Track and Field
11 University of Florida track and field athletes were named to the 2012 U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Division I All-Academic Track & Field team. A total of 1,108 student-athletes compose both the men's and women's teams, while a record-number 677 athletes were honored on the women's side.
Out of the 11, three athletes were SEC Champions and one was an NCAA Champion. Freshman Hugh Graham, Jr. (Miami, Fla.) was a member of both the SEC and NCAA Outdoor Champion men's 4x400-meter relay team, running the second leg for the Gators. Freshman Taylor Burke (Medina, Ohio) was the SEC Outdoor Champion in the women's high jump and was named an All-American in the event at the 2012 NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Senior Genevieve LaCaze (Queensland, Australia) earns her final honor as a Gator, having racked up three SEC titles outdoors (women's 1,500 meters, 5,000 meters, 3,000-meter steeplechase) en route to being named the SEC Commissioner's Trophy winner. She was the SEC Co-Women's Runner of the Year and the USTFCCCA South Region Women's Track Athlete of the Year before her second-place finish at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. LaCaze will represent her country in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the 2012 Olympic Games.
To qualify for the USTFCCCA All-Academic Track and Field Team, the student-athlete must have compiled a cumulative grade point average of 3.25 and have met either of the following athletic standards: for the indoor season, a student-athlete must have finished the regular season ranked in the national top 96 in an individual event or ranked in the national top 48 (collective listing) in a relay event on the official NCAA POP list provided by TFRRS.org; for the outdoor season, a student-athlete must have participated in any round of the NCAA Division I Championships (including preliminary rounds).
| Athlete | Year | Event | Major |
| MEN | |||
| Tyler Cardillo | Freshman | Distance | Social and Behavioral Sciences |
| Hugh Graham, Jr. | Freshman | Sprints | Criminology |
| Mark Parrish | Sophomore | Distance | Mechanical Engineering |
| David Triassi | Junior | Throws | Finance |
| WOMEN | |||
| Taylor Burke | Freshman | Jumps | Telecommunication |
| Kaitlin Davis | Junior | Throws | Microbiology |
| Bria Goodson | Freshman | Sprints | Social and Behavioral Sciences |
| Shelby Hayes | Sophomore | Distance | Health Education and Behavior |
| Fidela James | Senior | Throws | Education |
| Genevieve LaCaze | Senior | Distance | Applied Physiology & Kinesiology: Fitness Wellness |
| Stephanie Strasser | Sophomore | Distance | Political Science |
