Aifuwa Named to USTFCCCA All-Academic
Team
Earns Award for Third Consecutive Year
The University of the Sciences in Philadelphia women’s cross country team member Oghogho (Joy) Aifuwa (Edison High School/Edison, NJ) has been named to the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic Team for the 2007 season.
This is Aifuwa’s third consecutive selection as a member of the Division II All-Academic Team by the USTFCCCA, having earned this honor in 2005 and 2006. Joy was one of just two athletes from the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference to be named to the team and is the first CACC athlete to earn this honor three times. Thirty-three runners from the East Region were named amongst the 202 total athletes earning the honor.
To qualify for this honor an individual must have a cumulative grade point average through the semester of competition of a 3.25 on a 4.0 scale. An athlete must have competed in at least 50% of their teams’ cross country competitions, and finish in the top 30% at the NCAA Regional meet. The individual’s coach must also be a member of the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association
Aifuwa, a pharmacy major with a 3.434 grade point average, recently completed her fourth and final season of competition this fall for the Devils.
Joy competed in six regular season meets finishing no lower than fourth place in five of the six, including a first place finish at this year’s Belmont Classic, the second time in three year’s she has won the event. Aifuwa also recorded second place finishes at the Delaware Valley College Invitational and Philadelphia Metro Championships. At the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Championships, Aifuwa finished in second place, leading the Devils to a fourth place team finish, becoming the first CACC women’s cross country to Earn All-Conference honors in each of her four seasons of competition. Joy concluded her season with a 57th place finish at the NCAA East Regionals at Lock Haven University as the Devils placed 20th out of 29 teams.
During the 2007 season, Aifuwa was named CACC Runner of the Week twice, giving her a total of 15 Runner of the Week honors in her four seasons of competition. In addition, Aifuwa was named ECAC Runner of the Week twice during the season and earned her fourth straight selection to the CACC All-Conference Team. In November, Aifuwa was named to the Philadelphia Inquirer Area All-Academic Team for the third consecutive year in a vote conducted by the Sports Information Directors of the 28 area schools.
The former Edison High School athlete has competed for four seasons as a member of the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia’s women’s cross country team while earning Dean’s List honors in each of her seven semesters at USP.
Devils Cross Country Teams Named as All-Academic
Teams
USP’s men’s and women’s cross country teams have been selected by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) as All-Academic Teams for the 2007 season.
For the USP women, it marks the fifth consecutive year they have earned Division II All-Academic Team Honors, having earned the honor in each season since becoming NCAA eligible in 2003. The men’s team earns the honor for the second time in the last three seasons.
To qualify for this honor a team must have a cumulative team grade point average through the semester of competition of a 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. Athletes must have competed in at least 50% of their teams’ cross country competitions and the team must have competed at their respective NCAA regional. The coach must also be a member of the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association
The eligible members of the USP women’s cross country team recorded a team cumulative GPA of 3.16 for the Fall 2007 semester while the men’s cross country members recorded a team cumulative GPA of 3.06.
The women’s team was one of three Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) teams selected and one of 99 teams nationally to earn this honor amongst the 272 division II schools that offer cross country. The USP men’s cross country team is the sole CACC representative amongst the 66 schools nationally selected.
In 2007, the USP women finished no lower than eighth place in all six of their regular season meets. The Devils placed fourth at the CACC Championships and proceeded to compete at the NCAA East Regional where they finished 20th out of 29 teams. Entering the regional meet, the Devils recorded a 55-29 record against all the teams they competed against in their seven previous contests.
The USP men enjoyed one of their best season in the past decade, finishing no lower than fourth in any regular season meet, including a first place finish amongst the Division II teams competing at the University of Delaware Invitational. The Devils recorded their best finish ever at the CACC Championships, a third place effort before competing at the NCAA regional meet. Entering the regional meet, the Devils recorded a 77-13 record against all the teams they competed against in their seven previous contests.