Seahawks make the grade; Demeo earns individual honors

NEWPORT, R.I. – The Salve Regina University women's cross country team has been named an All-Academic Team by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. This marks the seventh consecutive year that the Seahawks have been recognized by the USTFCCCA.

For a team to be eligible for USTFCCCA academic honors, it must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.10 and compile a team score at an NCAA Regional Championship. The Seahawks, who also placed nine harriers on the Commonwealth Coast Conference Fall Academic All-Conference Team, had no trouble meeting either standard.

"Maintaining our team GPA is one of the objectives that we discuss at the beginning of each season, and I am proud to know that our team made the grade once again," said head coach Rob McGuinness.

Junior captain Alex Demeo (Burlington, Mass.) earned an individual All-Academic Award from the USTFCCCA for her performance in the classroom and on the course. Individual honorees must have a cumulative GPA of 3.30 and finish in the top 25 percent of their regional championship meet.

Demeo is the third Salve Regina harrier to earn individual honors in recent years, joining Aubrey Palmquist '16 and Victoria Varone '17, who were recognized in 2014 and 2016, respectively.

The academic award capped a solid season of racing for Demeo, who posted a personal best at 6,000 meters in the NCAA Division III Regional Championship at Gorham Country Club. She earned a spot on the CCC All-Conference Team, was recognized twice as a CCC Runner of the Week, and earned the first individual invitational victory of her cross country career at the Elms Blazer Classic.

"This award is so well deserved. Alex brings so much energy and consistency to everything that she does, whether it is a workout or a research project," McGuinness said. "She is in good company among the other Seahawks who have received this award, and that is exactly where she belongs."