LSC Release RICHARDSON, Texas – Senior
Baptiste Moreu of the West Texas A&M men's track & field team earned his second-straight Lone Star Conference Outdoor Track & Field Academic Athlete of the Year award and third overall (indoor & outdoor combined) for his career on Wednesday afternoon. Additionally, six total Buffs and Lady Buffs were named to the LSC All-Academic Team for the outdoor season. The announcement comes on the eve of the LSC Outdoor Track & Field Championship from the league's office in Richardson, Texas.
Picking up the honors on the men's side with Moreu are juniors
Zach Daniel and
Fabian Mueller. For the women, those garnering repeat recognition include juniors
Bri Leeper and
Libby Strickland and senior
Emma Love.
Moreu claimed the men's top honor for the second straight year, while Ewa Zaborowska of Harding earned her third consecutive women's top academic honor. Moreu also earned the honor for the 2014 indoor season making it now three times overall in his WT career.
Moreu led a group of 12 track and field stars on the LSC Men's All-Academic Team, while Zaborowska was joined by 10 standouts on the LSC Women's All-Academic Team. A senior finance major from Auray, France, Moreu holds the LSC's best time in the 5000m (14:37:67) and has a provisional time of 3:47.82 in the 1500m, which ranks second in the LSC. He was named a USTFCCCA First-Team All-American in the mile during the recently completed indoor season, finishing fourth overall at the 2015 NCAA DII Indoor National Championship in the event.
Daniel was also a member of the All-Academic team during the 2015 indoor season while Mueller earned the honors in 2014. Love is a three time recipient for outdoor competition and has won the previous two LSC Cross Country Academic Athlete of the Year awards. She also earned the prestigious NCAA Elite 89 award during the 2013 cross country season. Leeper and Strickland are also repeat selections to the All-Academic team.
WT's six selections were the most combined for the men and women of all LSC institutions, carrying on the Buffs' and Lady Buffs' tradition as the most successful academic track & field programs in the conference. They received seven during the 2015 indoor season, also the most in the league.
Overall, 23 men and women were selected to the All-Academic teams on Wednesday.
To be eligible for LSC academic honors, student-athletes must carry at least a 3.30 grade point average and have reached sophomore status both athletically and academically. The Academic Athlete of Year award and All-Academic Team are selected from the list of academically qualified players, with the league's sports information directors voting on the basis of both academic and athletic achievement.
The No. 15 Buffs and No. 11 Lady Buffs will return to action this weekend as they compete in the 2015 LSC Outdoor Track & Field Championship. The meet will be hosted by Angelo State University at LeGrand Stadium in San Angelo, Texas beginning tomorrow, Thursday, May 7, and concluding on Saturday, May 9. The Buffs and Lady Buffs are seeking their first LSC outdoor titles in WT history since the program was reinstated in 2009.
