NEW ORLEANS, LA – Three members of the University of Rochester men's cross country team, as well as the men's team as a whole, earned United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic honors, as announced by the USTFCCCA on Thursday.
 
Graduate student James Catania, sophomore Liam Sakakeeny and first-year Austin Skeete were recognized with USTFCCCA All-Academic honors, while the men's team scored All-Academic Team accolades.
 
To qualify for individual All-Academic honors, student-athletes must have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.30 on a 4.0 scale and finish in the top 25 percent of their respective regional championship meet. Teams must have a cumulative GPA of 3.1 on a 4.0 scale, including the most recent grading period, among other qualifiers, to earn USTFCCCA All-Academic Team recognition.
 
Catania and Sakakeeny both qualified for the NCAA Division III Cross Country Championship with their performance at the NCAA Niagara Regional, earning individual at-large berths with their top-15 finishes.
 
Catania was Rochester's top performer at the regional, placing 12th with a time of 25:24.5, while Sakakeeny came in 14th, clocking in at 25:31.5. Skeete was Rochester's first displacer at the regional meet, helping the 'Jackets earn a third-place team finish with a 42nd-place finish and time of 26:33.5.
 
The Rochester men combined for a 3.52 Team GPA, earning USTFCCCA All-Academic Team status for the ninth-straight year.