Pitt Lands Four On Outdoor Track & Field All-ACC Academic Team
6/21/2019 9:43:00 AM | Track & Field
PITTSBURGH – A total of four student-athletes from the University of Pittsburgh track and field program were named to the 2019 All-ACC Outdoor Track and Field Academic Team, as announced by the conference office on Friday morning.
The four representatives for the Panthers, Nate Sloan, Nikki Scherer, Nina Crawford and Flora Ahiarakwe, all earned the recognition for the first time in their Pitt careers.
"All of our Academic All-ACC honorees have been workmanlike on the track this season and it's great to see that they work equally as hard inside the classroom," said head coach Alonzo Webb. "With the exception of Nate, they all return next season to continue achieving the Gold Standard that we expect from them. It's a challenge being a student-athlete in this conference but they receive great support from our academic advisors and our Life Skills department to keep them on track with time management and academic focus. I'm proud of their achievements and look forward to more of the same in the future."
Sloan, a civil engineering major with a 3.37 GPA, capped a strong senior campaign for the Panthers by earning a pair of All-ACC honors at the Outdoor ACC Championships in May. The distance specialist was able to notch First Team All-ACC honors in the 1500m run as he finished in second place with a personal best time of 3:43.05, the fourth fastest in program history. He then claimed sixth place in the 800m run to collect three points for the Panthers and earn Second Team All-ACC honors. Sloan completed his final season at the NCAA East prelims as he competed in just the 1500m run despite qualifying for the 800m run as well.
Crawford, a social sciences major with a 3.48 GPA, was able to earn All-ACC accolades for the first time in her Pitt career at the Outdoor Championships. The junior was a key component to the Panthers 4x400m relay squad that collected a third place finish and earned Second Team All-ACC honors. Despite rainy conditions at the Outdoor Championships, Crawford and the 4x400m relay squad took home third place in 3:38.18, a time that qualified them for the NCAA East prelims in Jacksonville. The Upper Marlboro, MD native also competed in the 400m and long jump at the ACC Outdoor Championships, taking home 16th and 27th place, respectively.
Scherer, a communication major with a 3.18 GPA, closed out a successful sophomore campaign for the Panthers earning All-ACC honors and scoring points in two different events for Pitt at the Outdoor Championships. The Lower Burrell, PA native ran the anchor leg for the Panthers 4x400m relay squad that notched a third place finish, earned Second Team All-ACC honors and qualified for the NCAA East prelims where they posted a season-best time of 3:37.83. Scherer also earned a point at the Outdoor Championships in the 400m as she finished in eighth place in 55.12 seconds.
Ahiarakwe, an undecided major with a 3.07 GPA, earned All-ACC Academic honors after a strong first season on the track for the Panthers. The Sicklerville, NJ native was a key component of the Pitt 4x400m relay squad that was able to qualify for the NCAA East prelims and ran a season-best time of 3:37.83. Ahiarakwe ran the second leg of the relay at the ACC Outdoor Championships that finished in third place and earned Second Team All-ACC honors. The versatile freshman also competed in the 400m and 4x100m relays in her first season for the Panthers.
"I tell our student-athletes all the time that this is not about track and field, this is about life," stated Webb. "When they make the commitment to come to Pitt, they are not making a four-year decision, they are making a forty-year decision because what they accomplish here is going to have a positive impact on their lives in the future. It appears that they have taken that to heart and are setting themselves up for success after their athletic careers are over."
Minimum academic requirements for selection to the All-ACC Academic Team are a 3.0 grade point average for the previous semester and a 3.0 cumulative average during one's academic career. Athletic achievements during the most recent season are also considered in selecting the All-ACC Academic Team.
Each student-athlete named to the 2019 All-ACC Outdoor Track and Field Academic Teams was an All-American or an All-ACC first- or second-team performer, a qualifier for the NCAA Championship finals June 5-8 in Austin, and/or an ACC Performer of the Week selection during the regular season.
The ACC Honor Roll, which recognizes all conference student-athletes with a grade point average of 3.0 for the current academic year, will be released in July.
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The four representatives for the Panthers, Nate Sloan, Nikki Scherer, Nina Crawford and Flora Ahiarakwe, all earned the recognition for the first time in their Pitt careers.
"All of our Academic All-ACC honorees have been workmanlike on the track this season and it's great to see that they work equally as hard inside the classroom," said head coach Alonzo Webb. "With the exception of Nate, they all return next season to continue achieving the Gold Standard that we expect from them. It's a challenge being a student-athlete in this conference but they receive great support from our academic advisors and our Life Skills department to keep them on track with time management and academic focus. I'm proud of their achievements and look forward to more of the same in the future."
Sloan, a civil engineering major with a 3.37 GPA, capped a strong senior campaign for the Panthers by earning a pair of All-ACC honors at the Outdoor ACC Championships in May. The distance specialist was able to notch First Team All-ACC honors in the 1500m run as he finished in second place with a personal best time of 3:43.05, the fourth fastest in program history. He then claimed sixth place in the 800m run to collect three points for the Panthers and earn Second Team All-ACC honors. Sloan completed his final season at the NCAA East prelims as he competed in just the 1500m run despite qualifying for the 800m run as well.
Crawford, a social sciences major with a 3.48 GPA, was able to earn All-ACC accolades for the first time in her Pitt career at the Outdoor Championships. The junior was a key component to the Panthers 4x400m relay squad that collected a third place finish and earned Second Team All-ACC honors. Despite rainy conditions at the Outdoor Championships, Crawford and the 4x400m relay squad took home third place in 3:38.18, a time that qualified them for the NCAA East prelims in Jacksonville. The Upper Marlboro, MD native also competed in the 400m and long jump at the ACC Outdoor Championships, taking home 16th and 27th place, respectively.
Scherer, a communication major with a 3.18 GPA, closed out a successful sophomore campaign for the Panthers earning All-ACC honors and scoring points in two different events for Pitt at the Outdoor Championships. The Lower Burrell, PA native ran the anchor leg for the Panthers 4x400m relay squad that notched a third place finish, earned Second Team All-ACC honors and qualified for the NCAA East prelims where they posted a season-best time of 3:37.83. Scherer also earned a point at the Outdoor Championships in the 400m as she finished in eighth place in 55.12 seconds.
Ahiarakwe, an undecided major with a 3.07 GPA, earned All-ACC Academic honors after a strong first season on the track for the Panthers. The Sicklerville, NJ native was a key component of the Pitt 4x400m relay squad that was able to qualify for the NCAA East prelims and ran a season-best time of 3:37.83. Ahiarakwe ran the second leg of the relay at the ACC Outdoor Championships that finished in third place and earned Second Team All-ACC honors. The versatile freshman also competed in the 400m and 4x100m relays in her first season for the Panthers.
"I tell our student-athletes all the time that this is not about track and field, this is about life," stated Webb. "When they make the commitment to come to Pitt, they are not making a four-year decision, they are making a forty-year decision because what they accomplish here is going to have a positive impact on their lives in the future. It appears that they have taken that to heart and are setting themselves up for success after their athletic careers are over."
Minimum academic requirements for selection to the All-ACC Academic Team are a 3.0 grade point average for the previous semester and a 3.0 cumulative average during one's academic career. Athletic achievements during the most recent season are also considered in selecting the All-ACC Academic Team.
Each student-athlete named to the 2019 All-ACC Outdoor Track and Field Academic Teams was an All-American or an All-ACC first- or second-team performer, a qualifier for the NCAA Championship finals June 5-8 in Austin, and/or an ACC Performer of the Week selection during the regular season.
The ACC Honor Roll, which recognizes all conference student-athletes with a grade point average of 3.0 for the current academic year, will be released in July.
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