2016 USTFCCCA All-Academic Teams
2016 USTFCCCA All-Academic Individuals

NEW ORLEANS -- In a Thursday announcement, Academy of Art University men's and women's cross country made history by each earning U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association All-Academic Team honors. Additionally, runners Pierre Fontanarosa, Gatien Airiau, McKaela Christenson, and Chandler Johnson were each named USTFCCCA All-Academic Individuals.

"We have kids working hard on the track and in the classroom and it is fitting that this Fall saw the program receive more All Academic awards than any prior season," said director of track & field/cross country Torrey Olson. "I'm proud of the work our student-athletes continue to put in."

To qualify as an USTFCCCA All-Academic Cross Country individual, the student-athlete must have compiled a cumulative grade point average of 3.25 and and finished among the top 30 percent of total eligible runners at his or her NCAA regional championship or in the top half of the field at the NCAA Championships. Teams must have compiled a cumulative grand point average of at least 3.0 and must have scored at an NCAA Division II regional meet to qualify for All-Academic awards.

As a team, the ART U men's squad collectively posted a 3.21 GPA and, not only made their third consecutive appearance at NCAA Regionals, but had a historic run in its first NCAA Nationals appearance. The Urban Knights finished 11th overall at Nationals after claiming fourth collectively at Regionals. This year, the squad who made program history in the NCAA postseason included Fontanarosa, Airiau, Kris Everett, Kristian Martinez, Joshua Thorson, Brett Bermudez, Jarred Gregory-Grimes, and Marvin Thomas.

The women's team made history of their own, reaching NCAA Regionals for the first time in the program's nine-year existence while collectively posting a 3.10 GPA. Academy of Art had its highest finish at the PacWest Conference Championship since 2010 and followed that up with a 17th place result at Regionals. This year, the squad who headed to the NCAA postseason included Christenson, Johnson, Kaelyn Harbison, Giulia McIsaac, Jessica Wunschmann, Jamie Morris, and Emily McCarty.

One of two returning graduate student leaders of the Urban Knights this season, Fontanarosa delivered a 3.39 GPA in Multimedia Communications this past fall and joined two of his teammates with USTFCCCA All-West Region (ninth at Regionals) and took 62nd overall at NCAA Nationals. He claimed 12th at the PacWest Championship, picking up his second consecutive All-PacWest Team honor.

Owner of a 3.46 GPA in Multimedia Communications this past fall, Airiau made an instant impact as the 2016 PacWest Newcomer of the Year, one of five ART U All-PacWest Team honorees, and USTFCCCA All-West Region. After taking third at the PacWest Conference Championship, he would go on to finish 14th at NCAA Regionals and 72nd at Nationals.

The 2014-15 PacWest Women's Cross Country Scholar-Athlete of the Year, Christenson remained strong in the classroom with a cumulative 3.58 GPA in Fashion Design after last semester. She placed 68th at NCAA Regionals after earning All-PacWest Third Team at the PacWest Championship. Though she did not qualify for Nationals on this occasion, she still ran her second-lowest 6k time of the year at Regionals.

In her first semester at Academy of Art, Johnson excelled with a 3.67 GPA in Graphic Design this past fall. Johnson led the Urban Knights in each of the first three meets in 2016, including the Speedway Meadow Duals where she took second of 53, and finished off a the year in 70th overall at NCAA Regionals.

Fontanarosa and Airiau were two of 269 men representing 118 institutions while Christenson and Johnson were two of 404 women from 137 institutions who earned this distinguished USTFCCCA All-Academic honor for their combined academic and athletic accomplishments. The ART U men's team was one of 115 squads and the women's team was one of 156 to the award.