University of Minnesota Athletics
10 Gophers Named B1G Distinguished Scholars
7/8/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Cross Country
MINNEAPOLIS - Ten representatives from Gopher women's cross country and track & field are among the 72 University of Minnesota student-athletes who have earned 2014-15 Big Ten Distinguished Scholar Awards, conference officials announced on Wednesday. Twenty of Minnesota's teams represented on the list.
Alex Beckman; Amanda Beckman, Becca Dyson, Jess Herauf, Marnie Kinnaird, Rachel Melum, Katie Murgic, Chelsea Pettit, Jamie Piepenburg and Lyndsey Thorpe were honored for recording a minimum grade-point average (GPA) of 3.7 or higher for the previous academic year, along with being letterwinners in at least their second academic year at the University of Minnesota.
The 72 Gopher honorees this year are the second most ever by the Maroon & Gold (86 in 2011-12) while this year's total also stands as second most in the Big Ten Conference behind only Michigan State (78).
Dyson, Kinnaird and Murgic are among nine Minnesota's honorees who maintained a perfect 4.0 GPA during the previous academic year, joining Jack Metcalf (men's gymnastics), Lisa Weeks (rowing), Kiera Janzen (women's swimming & diving), Jessica Plant (women's swimming & diving), Tori Simenec (women's swimming & diving), and Michael Kroells (wrestling).
Big Ten Faculty Representatives established the Distinguished Scholar Award in 2008 to supplement the Academic All-Big Ten program. The Distinguished Scholar Award encompasses only students with a minimum GPA of 3.7 or higher for the previous academic year, excluding summer school. The Academic All-Big Ten threshold is a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher for a student's academic career.
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