Wolverine Quartet Named to National All-Academic Team
7/17/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track & Field
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Four members of the University of Michigan men's track and field team were named to the 2006 United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic Team. The honorees included senior captain Brad Miller (Lake Orion, Mich./Lake Orion HS), senior/junior Paul Sarantos (Portage, Mich./Portage HS), sophomore/freshman Victor Gras (Belmont, Mass./Belmont HS) and freshman Lex Williams (Ann Arbor, Mich./Dexter HS).
To qualify for the USTFCCCA All-Academic Track & Field Team, an athlete must have a cumulative GPA of 3.25 or higher and must have met the NCAA Division I regional or national qualifying standard in his event.
Miller, who recently graduated from the university with a B.A. degree in economics, qualified for the NCAA Mideast Regional high jump competition in each of his final two seasons, falling just shy of advancing to the national meet this year with a sixth-place finish. A walk-on as a freshman, Miller continually improved his personal best each season at Michigan, eventually reaching an all-time best of 6-11 1/2 in his senior year. Miller was a three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection and four-time recipient of the U-M Athletic Academic Achievement award.
Sarantos, a mechanical engineering major, enjoyed his first full season devoted to the throwing events in 2006 after previously splitting time between track and football duties. The Wolverine improved his personal bests in every throwing category this season and netted a NCAA Mideast Regional appearance in the shot put with a season-high mark of 54-9 1/2. At the conclusion of the fall football season, Sarantos was awarded Michigan football's Dr. Arthur D. Robinson Scholarship Award as the program's top scholar athlete and earned Academic All-Big Ten honors in both football and track. He is a four-time U-M Athletic Academic Achievement award recipient.
Gras netted himself the 3,000-meter provisional standard during the indoor season before an injury at the Big Ten meet sidelined him for the national event and the entirety of the outdoor slate. He posted a personal-best 8:03.13 in the 3,000m at the conference meet and claimed his first collegiate win, in the mile, at the Sykes-Sabock Challenge Cup. Gras earned Academic All-Big Ten honors for cross country and track and is a two-time U-M Athletic Academic Achievement award winner.
Williams registered a pair of NCAA Mideast Regional qualifying standards in his rookie campaign behind personal-best performances in the 1,500-meter run (3:47.19) and the 5,000-meter run (14:07.18). Williams also claimed U-M Athletic Academic Achievement honors in his first season at Michigan.
Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423
