March 30, 2004

OXFORD, Ohio - Junior David Mitchell (Woodridge, Ill./Downers Grove South) has been named an academic all-American, while Miami University's men's cross country team earned academic all-American team with distinction status from the United States Cross Country Coaches' Association (USCCCA), head coach Warren Mandrell announced today. The RedHawks earned academic all-American team status last season, as well.

Mitchell earned All-American honors at the NCAA Championships, where he took 41st. He also took second at the difficult Great Lakes Regional and during the MAC Championships. An English major, Mitchell qualified for the honor after completing last semester with a 3.73 GPA and finishing among the top 15 of the regional and/or NCAA meet.

As a team, the six-member RedHawk squad boasts a cumulative team GPA of 3.33. Leading the way were senior Brian Godsey (West Chester, Ohio/Lakota East) and freshman Ryan Hutton (Columbus, Ind./North). An all-region honoree during the season, Godsey was named to the Miami President's List in the fall for posting a perfect 4.00 GPA in the fall semester. Hutton earned Dean's List honors in his first semester at Miami. To qualify for USCCCA academic all-American team status a team must compete at its regional, while the cumulative team grade point average must be 3.00 or higher. Teams with GPAs over 3.25 are honored with distinction.

The RedHawks finished a very successful season with a 14th-place showing at the NCAA Championships in November. Miami finished 11 places ahead of its No. 25 ranking, marking the largest jump in the field. Among the teams that finished behind the Red and White were No. 10 Ohio State (15th), No. 11 BYU (19th) and No. 15 Central Michigan (16th) from the MAC.