Nine Bentley Cross Country Runners Earn USTFCCCA All-Academic Status
WALTHAM, Mass. – Nine members of the Bentley University cross country teams, including All-East Region honorees Rob Dextradeur (Branford, Conn./Branford HS), John Drago (Avon, Conn./Avon HS), Sean Maguire (Essex, Vt./Essex HS) and Tara Dooley (Lee/Lee HS), have earned Division II All-Academic status from the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.
The honorees from the men's team, in addition to the three seniors mentioned above, included junior Conor Higgins (Randolph, N.J./Randolph HS) and senior Curtis Trueb (Eastchester, N.Y./ Eastchester HS). Dooley was joined on the list of women's honorees by senior Caitlin Fahey (Bridgewater/Coyle-Cassidy HS) and juniors Ashley Nichols (Kenmore, Wash./Inglemoor HS) and Leah Schiller (Tipp City, Ohio/Tippecanoe HS).
Trueb earned All-Academic honors for the sixth time, and Fahey for the fifth, including fourth straight for cross country. Nichols and Drago are both three-time honorees, Dextradeur and Maguire were each recognized for the second time, and Higgins and Schiller were both first-time All-Academic recipients.
The Bentley men shared the Division II lead with five honorees, along with Sioux Falls, Mars Hill and Western State. Combined, Bentley was one of ten institutions who had at least nine student-athletes recognized.
Both Bentley teams were also accorded All-Academic team status, with each having cumulative grade point averages of 3.41.
During the women's NCAA East Regional, Dooley placed second to earn a return trip to the nationals, Fahey was 27th, Nichols 29th and Schiller 49th.
The Bentley men's team finished second to qualify for the nationals, with Dextradeur fifth, Drago ninth, Maguire 11th, Trueb 58th and Higgins 65th.
To qualify for the USTFCCCA All-Academic Cross Country Team in Division II, the student-athlete must have compiled a cumulative grade point average of 3.25 or greater through the most-recent semester, completed at least 12 credit hours in the semester of cross country competition, and placed in the top 50 percent at the most recent NCAA National Championship or in the top 30 percent at the NCAA Regional Championship.