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NEW ORLEANS, La. – Senior Tommy Betterbed and freshman Joash Osoro have been named Academic All Americans as announced by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) on Monday. Betterbed and Osoro are among 58 given All-Academic status for the 2009 cross country season for their efforts in the classroom and on nation’s cross country courses.
Betterbed, a senior from Fox Island, Wash., wins his second consecutive Academic All American award. A fifth year senior, Betterbed is currently completing an MBA after earning a Bachelor of Science in Biology. Betterbed was recently accepted into the OHSU School of Dentistry.
“Tommy is one of our great student-athletes here at University of Portland,” said head coach Rob Conner. “He is a leader at practice and a leader in the classroom.”
Betterbed finished fifth individually at the 2009 NCAA West Regional meet to lead the Pilots to an automatic NCAA Championships bid with a second-place team finish. Osoro, a business student who hails from Bismarck, N.D., placed eighth overall.
“Joash (Osoro) had an amazing fall,” said Conner. “He just missed an All American spot at the national meet, finishing as the third best freshman in the nation, but he hit it out of the park in the classroom. He has done a remarkable job all around.”
This is the first year that freshmen are eligible for this award.
About USTFCCCA All-Academic Award
The award honors those student-athletes who have succeeded both academically and athletically. To be eligible for the award a student-athlete must carry a minimum 3.25 cumulative grade point average and must finish among the top 15 finishers (or top 10 percent) of the field at their respective NCAA regional meet.