Sports Report

Men’s Cross Country Boasts Country’s
Second Highest GPA

The Rensselaer men’s cross country team has earned national recognition from the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association after posting the second highest team grade point average in the country. Rensselaer, which finished with a GPA of 3.586 for the fall ’06 semester, finished second only to Eastern Mennonite University (3.910 GPA).

Thirty-three of Rensselaer’s 34 cross country runners, including 18 men and all 15 women, qualified for the Dean’s List last semester. Twenty-seven of those student-athletes earned at least a 3.50 GPA. Eighteen student-athletes were named to the Liberty League All-Academic squad.

Individually, Rensselaer saw freshman Eric Wyler, the 2006 Liberty League Rookie of the Year, earn Division III All-Academic honors. An engineering major from Pottstown, Pa., Wyler finished second on the team, seventh overall, and first among league rookies at the 8k Liberty League Championship meet. For his efforts he earned All-League honors and helped Rensselaer to a second-place finish.

The women’s cross country team was also recognized for its impressive team GPA, ranking 19th nationally with a 3.535 GPA for the fall ’06 semester. Freshman Heather Cirka of Manchester, N.H., earned individual recognition as an All-Academic honoree.

Cirka, an engineering major, competed in seven races for Rensselaer in 2006. Two of her top performances were at the 6k NCAA Regionals, where she finished second on the team and 48th overall, and at the 6k Liberty League Championships, where she finished fourth on the team and 14th overall.