STANFORD, Calif. – Stanford distance runner Sean McGorty was named NCAA Division I Male Indoor Track Scholar Athlete of the Year as part of the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association's season-end academic awards.
McGorty, a sophomore management science and engineering major with a 3.51 cumulative GPA, finished second in the 3,000 meters at the NCAA Indoor Championships in March and anchored the Stanford distance medley relay team to fourth. This followed a 3.53.95 mile – the second-fastest by an American collegian ever indoors on any-sized track – and another school record, in the DMR at the Penn State National meet, during the season. Outdoors, McGorty was second in the NCAA 5,000 and reached the final at the U.S. Olympic Trials.
The indoor honor follows the same recognition for cross country for McGorty, giving him a notable double for the 2015-16 academic year. He was joined by Michigan's NCAA steeplechase champ Mason Ferlic (outdoor track), Texas' indoor shot put champ Ryan Crouser (indoor field), and Oklahoma State's NCAA hammer champ Nick Miller (outdoor field) among male award winners.
Combining their accomplishments in the classroom and in competition, they were deemed to be the most exceptional among a group who earned USTFCCCA All-Academic honors. The criteria was a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.25, plus NCAA regional or national qualification indoors or outdoors, or among the top times nationally (indoors) or regionally (outdoors) in an individual or relay event.
Stanford's only previous men's or women's track and field Scholar Athlete of the Year was intermediate hurdler Amaechi Morton, for outdoor track in 2011 and 2012.
McGorty was joined on the men's track and field All-Academic team, including indoor and outdoor, by teammates Justin Brinkley, Tom Coyle, Tai Dinger, Steven Fahy, Grant Fisher, Jack Keelan, Tristen Newman, Patrick Perrier, Jackson Shumway, Garrett Sweatt, Jaak Uudmae, and Harrison Williams.
Stanford women's honorees were Valarie Allman, Maddy Berkson, Sophie Chase, Elise Cranny, Michaela Crunkleton Wilson, Aisling Cuffe, Emma Fisher, Vanessa Fraser, Daryth Gayles, Gaby Gayles, Lena Giger, Danielle Katz, Marisa Kwiatkowski, Mackenzie Little, Hannah Long, Julia Maxwell, Molly McNamara, Rebecca Mehra, Kaitlyn Merritt, Missy Mongiovi, Malika Waschmann, Kaitlyn Williams, Kristyn Williams.
In addition, both Stanford men's and women's teams were among those to receive USTFCCCA All-Academic team honors. The Stanford women carried a 3.59 team GPA, and the Cardinal men were at 3.38.