SFA Lands Four on USTFCCCA Academic Teams
7/17/2015 12:00:00 AM | Track & Field
2015 USTFCCCA All-Academic Teams: Men | Women
NEW ORLEANS, La. – Four members of the Stephen F. Austin track and field teams have been honored for their successes in competition and in the classroom by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). Demi Payne, Shambrail Woods, Joshua Taylor and Daven Murphree have all been named to the 2015 USTFCCCA All-Academic Team, as announced by the organization on Friday afternoon.
Taylor, Murphree and Woods all make the national academic team for the second consecutive year, while Payne picks up the honor after her first full academic year at SFA.
Payne displayed one of the best seasons in pole vaulting history in 2015, winning the NCAA outdoor title with a meet record jump of 15-5 (4.70m) on June 11 in Eugene, Oregon. She set the indoor collegiate record three times in her first month of action and currently remains on top of the all-time list at 15-7 (4.75m). Payne, who boasts a 3.90 GPA as a kinesiology major, also won the USATF indoor title before placing third at the USATF outdoor meet to qualify for the 2015 World Championships as a member of the U.S. team.
Also representing the Ladyjacks on the prestigious list, Woods turned in an excellent senior indoor campaign in 2015. She scored 3,732 points in the pentathlon at the SLC Indoor Championships to win her second straight crown, posting the highest point total in the meet since 2006. She ended the year ranked 68th in the nation in the collegiate pentathlon rankings. Woods graduated from SFA with a 3.48 GPA in kinesiology.
One of the best sprinters and hurdles in school history, Taylor earns a spot on the USTFCCCA academic team for the second straight year after finishing 2015 with a 3.27 GPA and advancing to the NCAA Championships for the fourth time in his career. The kinesiology major received USTFCCCA Honorable Mention All-America status after taking 19th in the 400m hurdles in Eugene and ended the season ranked 14th in the country in the event after breaking his own school record with a time of 50.03 seconds at the SLC Championships.
Murphree rounds out SFA’s selections, getting back on the academic list with an impressive 3.77 GPA. The sophomore qualified for the NCAA West Preliminary Rounds in the pole vault where he took 15th out of 48 with an outdoor season best jump of 17-4.5 (5.30m). He ended the indoor season ranked 39th in the country.
To qualify for the USTFCCCA All-Academic Track and Field Team, a student-athlete must have compiled a cumulative GPA of 3.25 or higher while ranking in the top 96 in the nation (individual event) or the top 48 (relay) during the indoor season, or qualifying for the NCAA Preliminary Rounds or Championships in their respective region in any event during the outdoor season.
SFA's USTFCCCA All-Academic Team Selections
Daven Murphree - Kinesiology (3.77 GPA)
Demi Payne - Kinesiology (3.90 GPA)
Joshua Taylor - Kinesiology (3.27 GPA)
Shambrail Woods - Kinesiology (3.48 GPA)
-SFA-
