Rowe, Ramirez Crowned 2019 Cross Country Student-Athletes of the Year
FRISCO, Texas – Lamar’s Jordan Rowe and Stephen F. Austin’s Kelsey Ramirez are the 2019 Southland Conference Cross Country Student-Athletes of the Year, the league announced Thursday. In addition to the individual award winners, Academic All-Conference teams were also announced. All Southland yearly award winners are presented by
Ready Nutrition.
Rowe capped an incredible season with an appearance at the 2019 NCAA Championship in Terre Haute, Ind. The graduate student from Frinton-On-Sea, Essex, England, began his 2019 postseason run with a first-place performance at the Southland Conference Championship, securing a First Team All-Conference selection and the league’s Athlete of the Year award along the way. Rowe then moved on to the NCAA South Central Regional meet where he took eighth place in the 10k event in Fayetteville, Ark. He went the distance and closed out his 2019 season at the NCAA Championships for the second-straight year, posting a 31:52.8 for an 86th-place finish. As a graduate student, Rowe is pursuing his degree in kinesiology and currently holds a 3.83 grade-point average (GPA).
Ramirez claimed a runner-up finish at the 2019 Southland Championship, completing the 6k race with a time of 20:51.5 to push the Ladyjacks to a second-place team finish. The junior then followed up with a 20th-place performance at the NCAA South Central Regional Championship in Fayetteville, where she clocked in at 21:38.0 in the 6,000-meter event. Ramirez currently holds a perfect 4.0 GPA as a senior kinesiology major.
Abilene Christian and Lamar lead the way on the men’s Academic All-Conference squads with three selections apiece, followed by Texas A&M-Corpus Christi with a pair of honorees. Central Arkansas and Sam Houston State each accounted for one selection to close out the roster.
On the women’s side, four teams presented two selections apiece, including Abilene Christian, Central Arkansas, Lamar and Stephen F. Austin. UIW and New Orleans completed the women’s roster with one honoree each.
There were a combined eight 4.0 GPAs among the men’s and women’s squads with two on the men’s side and six on the women’s side.
Southland Conference All-Academic Teams are voted upon by a head coach, sports information director and academic/compliance staff member from each school. Student-Athletes of the Year are voted upon by an awards committee which consists of one administrator from each member school. Voting for one’s own athletes is not permitted.
To be eligible for all-academic distinction, an athlete must hold a minimum 3.00 cumulative grade point average through the semester prior to the sport’s championship, completed at least one full academic year at the nominating school prior to the current season, and participated in at least 50 percent of the team’s competitions during the most recently completed season.
Student-Athlete of the Year nominees must hold at least a 3.20 GPA and have completed at least two years of athletic competition at the nominating institution.
First Team All-Conference athletes (top five finishers at the Southland Cross Country Championships) who meet all-academic nomination criteria are automatically named First Team All-Academic.
Men’s Cross Country Student-Athlete of the Year: Jordan Rowe, Lamar
Men’s Cross Country All-Academic First Team
| Name |
School |
Class |
Hometown |
GPA |
Major |
| Kevin Kipkosgei* |
Abilene Christian |
So. |
Eldoret, Kenya |
4.00 |
Nursing |
| Matt Arnold |
Lamar |
Gr. |
Surrey, England |
3.66 |
Kinesiology |
| Jack Gooch* |
Lamar |
Gr. |
Cardiff, Wales |
3.90 |
Business Administration |
| Jordan Rowe* |
Lamar |
Gr. |
Frinton-On-Sea, Essex, England |
3.83 |
Kinesiology |
| Isaac Vargas |
A&M-Corpus Christi |
Jr. |
Levelland, Texas |
3.80 |
Electrical Engineering |
Men’s Cross Country All-Academic Second Team
| Name |
School |
Class |
Hometown |
GPA |
Major |
| Colton Gates |
Abilene Christian |
So. |
Aurora, Colo. |
4.00 |
Engineering |
| Conner Miller |
Abilene Christian |
Jr. |
Carrollton, Texas |
3.15 |
Financial Management |
| Jaron Hamilton |
Central Arkansas |
Sr. |
Grand Prairie, Texas |
3.82 |
Exercise Science |
| Austin Zirkel |
Sam Houston State |
So. |
Medina, Texas |
3.88 |
Criminal Justice |
| Marek Spriestersbach |
A&M-Corpus Christi |
Sr. |
Oberneisen, Germany |
3.94 |
Mechanical Engineering |
Women’s Cross Country Student-Athlete of the Year: Kelsey Ramirez, Stephen F. Austin
Women’s Cross Country All-Academic First Team
| Name |
School |
Class |
Hometown |
GPA |
Major |
| Briahna Gerlach* |
Abilene Christian |
Jr. |
Gakona, Ala. |
3.55 |
Social Work |
| Carnley Graham |
Abilene Christian |
Sr. |
Prosper, Texas |
3.90 |
Nursing |
| Julie Emmerson* |
Lamar |
Gr. |
Kenilworth, Warwichshire, England |
4.00 |
Kinesiology |
| Arina Kleshchukova* |
New Orleans |
Jr. |
Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan |
3.67 |
Hotel, Restaurant & Tourism Administration |
| Kelsey Ramirez* |
Stephen F. Austin |
Sr. |
LaPorte, Texas |
4.00 |
Kinesiology |
Women’s Cross Country All-Academic Second Team
| Name |
School |
Class |
Hometown |
GPA |
Major |
| Gracie Hyde |
Central Arkansas |
So. |
Benton, Ark. |
4.00 |
Exercise Science |
| Erin Woodward |
Central Arkansas |
Sr. |
Little Rock, Ark. |
4.00 |
Health Sciences – Physical Therapy |
| Alia Henderson |
UIW |
So. |
Bandera, Texas |
4.00 |
Government |
| Katy Whiteoak |
Lamar |
Jr. |
Manchester, England |
3.95 |
History |
| Meredith Clayton |
Stephen F. Austin |
So. |
Brenham, Texas |
4.00 |
Mathematics |
* Automatic selection; 2019 First Team All-Conference