Five Titans Earn USTFCCCA All-Academic Awards

UW-Oshkosh had five members of its men's track & field team collect All-Academic honors from the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

Named to the organization's NCAA Division III All-Academic Team for the 2017-18 season were UW-Oshkosh's Zachary Emmer, Bailey Gesteland, Mitchell Hasey, Joe Vils and Joe Zack.

The USTFCCCA honored 408 NCAA Division III student-athletes from 124 schools for their academic and athletic accomplishments, including Zack who was recognized for the second straight year.

Emmer, a sophomore, owns a 3.768 cumulative grade point average (GPA) as a psychology major. The Fond du Lac High School graduate ranked 37th nationally in the pole vault indoors (15-1 1/2) and 46th outdoors (15-3) this past season.

Gesteland, a senior, has a 3.351 cumulative GPA as a kinesiology major. The Deerfield High School graduate finished seventh in the 1,600-meter relay (3:22.41) at this year's WIAC Outdoor Championship. Gesteland and his three other partners ranked 26th nationally in the 1,600-meter relay (3:22.41) this past outdoor season.

Hasey, a senior, possesses a 3.305 cumulative GPA as a physical education major. The Columbus High School graduate ranked 25th nationally in the pole vault outdoors (15-9) and 37th indoors (15-1 1/2) this past season.

Vils, a sophomore, owns a 3.303 cumulative GPA as a mechanical engineering major. The Oshkosh West High School graduate competed in the pole vault and finished eighth outdoors (15-9) and 13th indoors (15-1) at the 2018 NCAA Division III Championships. Vils also placed third in the pole vault (16-0 3/4) at this year's WIAC Outdoor Championship.

Zack, a senior, holds a 3.612 cumulative GPA as a biology major. The Oconomowoc High School graduate is a two-time NCAA Division III Championship qualifier in both the indoor mile run and outdoor 1,500-meter run. Zack finished ninth in the mile run (4:10.21) at the 2017 NCAA Championship and 11th (4:13.879) in 2018 while placing 13th in the 1,500-meter run (3:53.42) at the 2017 NCAA Championship and 18th (4:05.69) in 2018.

Zack finished third in the outdoor 1,500-meter run (3:52.69) and fifth in the indoor mile run (4:19.45) at this year's WIAC Championships. He was the WIAC's 2018 recipient of the Indoor Track & Field Scholar-Athlete Award.

To qualify for the USTFCCCA's Track & Field All-Academic Team, student-athletes must own a cumulative GPA of at least 3.30 and have either competed in an NCAA Indoor or Outdoor Championship or finished the regular season ranked in the national top 50 of an individual event or in the national top 35 of a relay event on the official NCAA Descending Order list.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology owned a nation-best 13 All-Academic award winners while Washington University in St. Louis (Mo.) and Williams College (Mass.) possessed 12 apiece.

UW-Oshkosh and its seven other WIAC associates combined for 31 All-Academic selections. UW-Eau Claire led the league with eight members while UW-Whitewater followed with seven.

The USTFCCCA selected Dhruvil Patel of North Central College (Ill.) as its Indoor Track Scholar-Athlete of the Year; Mark Fairley of Central College (Iowa) as its Outdoor Track Scholar-Athlete of the Year; Will Daniels of Central College as its Indoor Field Scholar-Athlete of the Year; and Tobias Muellers of Williams College as its Outdoor Field Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

North Central College swept the USTFCCCA's Indoor and Outdoor Scholar Team of the Year awards. The Cardinals compiled a cumulative GPA of 3.10 while finishing second indoors and outdoors at the NCAA Division III Championships.

The highest cumulative GPA of any NCAA Division III men's track & field program during the 2017-18 academic year belonged to Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The Engineers recorded a GPA of 3.63.

2018 USTFCCCA NCAA Division III Men's Track & Field All-Academic Awards • Individual / Team