Four King Runners Named to Academic All-Conference Team

Naseem Haje represented the men's cross country team on the Academic All-Conference, being one of 13 males to earn the award. The Hagerstown, Md. native has had three runs all under the 27-minute mark and had his best run at the Clemson Open (Sept. 16) with a 25:54.21 time for a 63^rd place over all finish. He had his highest finish at the Greater Louisville Classic (Oct. 1) where he was just five seconds off his previous season-best time, finishing 51^st overall with a 26:01.16 time. In 2010-11, Haje was honored as an Academic All-Region award winner.

Three King female runners found their name on the list of 20 student-athletes recognized as Academic All-Conference honorees. Danielle Beauvais (Winchester, Va.) had led the team on the track and now is being recognized for her scholastic accomplishments. On the track, she had led her team in each of their three races and had a season-best time of 19:20.15 at the Greater Louisville Classic. Danielle Alfano (Chattanooga, Tenn.) and Hannah Witt (Mountain City, Tenn.) also were named to the All-Conference Team, each improving steadily from race to race while making the mark in the classroom.

Last year, all six starting runners for the women's team were named to the USTFCCCA Division II All-Academic Team. Alfano, Beauvais and Witt were among those six runners honored. The Lady Tornado also possessed the highest team GPA (3.77) among all 107 Division II institutions.

"There is a high standard for the team both on and off the track," said Head Coach Peter Dalton. "We want to continue the tradition of excellence on the course and in the classroom both as individuals and as a team. They are living by that and I am really proud of them all."

To be eligible for the Academic All-Conference award, a student-athlete must maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.25 or higher on a 4.0 scale and be a member of their school for at least one year and of junior or senior standing.

The announcement comes on the heels of the Conference Championships being held in Charlotte, N.C. by host institution Queens University (N.C.). The race will feature the top three teams in the region as what is sure to be round one of two leading into the regional and national championships. Both men's and women's teams take to the track on Friday, Oct. 21. The men will begin at 4:00 p.m. with the women to follow at 5:00 p.m.