CLEVELAND, OH - Four members of the University of Toledo men's and women's cross country teams have been recognized for their athletic and academic excellence by being named to the Academic All-MAC squad, the conference announced on Monday. The Rockets were represented by seniors Elisha Kipchumba and Audra Brown, along with sophomores Samantha Condron and Kristal Studer. It was the first time receiving the award for all four of the Rockets recognized.

The Academic All-MAC honor is for a student-athlete who has excelled in athletics and academics. To qualify, a student-athlete must have at least a 3.20 cumulative GPA and have participated in at least 50 percent of the contests for that particular sport. Award recipients are voted on by faculty athletic representatives at the Mid-American Conference institutions. First-year students and junior college transfers in their first year of residence are not eligible for the award.

The lone representative from the men's team, Kipchumba was named Second-Team All-MAC this season after finishing in ninth place at the 2010 MAC Championships on Oct. 30. He was one of three Rockets to earn All-MAC status, the first Rockets to do so in 30 years. At the championship meet, he also helped set a school record for fewest points scored at the MAC Championship (123). During the regular season, he was consistently one of the top Rocket runners. He had the second-best Rocket finish at the Great Lakes Regional Championship (Nov. 13), finishing 81st, finished fourth overall at Bowling Green to help Toledo secure a victory and had the third-best Rocket finishes at the Roy Griak Invitational (Sept. 25) and All-Ohio Championships (Oct. 1), finishing 91st and 33rd, respectively.

On the women's side, Brown helped lead the Rockets to their first NCAA Championship bid in program history and helped Toledo earn their highest national ranking since 2002 at No. 27. She recorded the fifth-best Rocket finish at the NCAA Championship meet, finishing 159th. Brown finished 36th at the Great Lakes Regional Championship, helping Toledo to a program-best third-place finish and finished 15th at the 2010 MAC Championships, helping Toledo to win their third championship in program history. During the regular season, the Rocket senior had the third-best Toledo finish at the Richard Clark Invitational (Oct. 2), finishing 16th and helping Toledo to a second-place finish, just behind nationally-ranked Texas Tech. She also had the second-best Rocket finish at the Roy Griak Invitational (Sept. 25), finishing 56th.

Likewise, Condron and Studer were also critical in helping Toledo secure their program-first NCAA Championship bid and their highest national ranking since 2002. Condron finished 30th at the MAC Championships, capping the championship effort in which all of Toledo's entrants finished in the top-30. She had the fourth-best Rocket finish at the All-Ohio Championships, finishing 27th and finished fourth overall at Bowling Green as part of a perfect-score finish (1-2-3-4-5) in the Rocket victory.

Studer had the sixth-best Toledo finish at the NCAA Championships in the program's inaugural entry, finishing 162nd. Her 73rd-place finish at the Great Lakes Regional Championship helped Toledo to a program-best third-place finish and helped secure the NCAA bid. Studer finished 21st at the MAC Championships to help lead Toledo to the conference title. During the regular season, Studer finished 17th overall at the Richard Clark Invitational to help Toledo to their runner-up effort behind national No. 4 Texas Tech. She also took first place at Bowling Green to pace the perfect effort by the Rockets in their season-opening dual meet.

MAC Men's Cross Country Academic All-MAC Team
Brian Dudek, Akron
Andy Knapp, Akron
Dylan Conway, Buffalo
John Inzina, Buffalo
Jacob Hagen, Buffalo
Cory Arnold, Central Michigan
Jeremy Kiley, Central Michigan
Terefe Ejigu, Eastern Michigan
Matt Hammersmith, Eastern Michigan
Andrew Pfeiffer, Eastern Michigan
Austin Hendrix, Eastern Michigan
David Eichenberger, Miami
Ridge Robinson, Ohio
Chris Davis, Ohio
Elisha Kipchumba, Toledo

MAC Women's Cross Country Academic All-MAC Team
Kim Lorentz, Akron
Ali Bishel, Ball State
Courtney Krummert, Bowling Green
Holly Anderson, Central Michigan
Raeanne Lohner, Central Michigan
Maddie Ribant, Central Michigan
Courtney Calka, Eastern Michigan
Rachel Quaintance, Eastern Michigan
Amanda Mirochna, Miami
Rachel Patterson, Miami
Courtney Oldenburg, Northern Illinois
Annie Beecham, Ohio
Kari Summers, Ohio
Abigal Swift, Ohio
Audra Brown, Toledo
Samantha Condron, Toledo
Kristal Studer, Toledo
Jenna Matthews, Western Michigan