News
Four MCC runners make 2024 USTFCCCA Cross Country All-Academic Team
By Alex Freeman, MCC Communications Specialist
Maintaining a high level of excellence is important for any athlete, but having high academic standards is equally important for student-athletes.
Achievement in both is no easy task, but four MCC cross country athletes were recently honored for their academic and athletic prowess.
Sophomore Annette Fare (Greenville, Mich.) and freshmen Hannah Reed (Cedar Springs, Mich.), Ryan Hardy (Stanton, Mich.) and Keegan Shafer (Vestaburg, Mich.) were named to the 2024 U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) 2024 All-Academic Team. In order to qualify for the honor, students must maintain a 3.4 GPA or higher for the academic term of participation, must be considered full-time students with at least 12 credit hours and must be listed on either the Regional or National roster.
New MCC cross country coach Nate Van Holten said this honor means a great deal to the program and helps to set a standard of what kind of program he’s hoping to build.
“As always, we are students before athletes,” Van Holten said. “It is great to have them in full pursuit of excellence in the classroom. This continues to set the standard of what we want to represent academically.”
On top of being named to the USTFCCCA All-Academic Team, these athletes were the top four runners for the Centurions in the fall. Fare was the runner with the top finishes between both the men’s and women’s teams, finishing in the top 15 three times in the season, including a first-place finish at a Michigan Community College Athletic Association (MCCAA) Northern Conference meet, hosted by Muskegon Community College. Fare had a top 5K time of 20:48 and a top 6K time of 26:26 this season. Reed finished in the top 30 twice, with her top 5K time coming in at 22:18 during the MCCAA conference meet. Reed’s top 6K time was 29:04 at the UW-Parkside Invite.
Hardy was a top 30 finisher three times in the fall, with his top 8K time of the season coming in at 28:05 during the MCCAA conference meet. Shafer placed once in the top 20 and another time in the top 50 during the season, recording a personal-best time of 31:19 at the MCCAA conference meet.