UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.: February 28, 2007 - The Nittany Lion men¡¯s and women¡¯s cross country programs have both been named All-Academic Teams by the United States Track and Field Cross Country Coaches¡¯ Association (USTFCCCA). Senior Dan Mazzocco (Pittsburgh, Pa.), and freshmen duo Bridget Franek (Hiram, Ohio), and Cheryl Spring (The Woodlands, Texas) took home individual recognition for their outstanding academic accomplishments.

To be eligible for the All-Academic Team award, teams must post a GPA of 3.0 or higher and participate in an NCAA regional championship. A grand total of 145 Division I women¡¯s programs made the academic standard in 2006, while 87 men¡¯s programs garnered USTFCCCA recognition.

The Nittany Lion women posted a 3.380 GPA last fall, the fourth highest among Big Ten teams, and the third best in the Mid-Atlantic Region. The Penn State men carried a 3.310 GPA through the fall semester, which ranks second in both the conference and the region.

To earn All-Academic individual honors, runners were required to have at least a cumulative GPA of 3.25. A total of 76 women qualified for the honor this year, while 50 men made the standard.

Mazzocco capped his Nittany Lion career with a 31st-place finish at the NCAA Cross Country Championships, the second All-America performance of his career. Franek and Spring both posted all-region finishes as freshman, while Franek went on to make her first career appearance at the NCAA meet last November.