The United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches association awarded the men's and women's track and field teams academic awards, in addition to recognizing three members of the men's track and field team, according to a July 16 press release.
Tim Wunderlich '09, Chris Zablocki '10 and Tom Robbins '11 all received All-Academic honors and spots on the USTFCCCA Division I All-Academic Track and Field Team. A student must receive a 3.25 cumulative grade point average and meet NCAA Division 1 indoor or outdoor standards for their event in order to qualify for the team, according to DartmouthSports.com.
Robbins said the award highlights team members' dedication to academics as students at an Ivy League school.
"While sometimes coaches say you're a student-athlete, a student first and an athlete second, it can be somewhat confusing in the day to day grind of things, when track is definitely more exciting in my life than, say, an anthropology paper," Robbins said of the award. "But I think it is also very important to realize not everyone gets the opportunity to attend such a fine institution and kind of jump start your life."
Robbins excelled in the 1500 meters, while Zablocki succeeded in the 3000-meter steeplechase and Wunderlich in the javelin throw and decathlon, according to the press release.
"It is not easy being a student athlete, so it is always nice to see successful people being acknowledged," men's head coach Barry Harwich said in an e-mail to The Dartmouth. "[Wunderlich, Zablocki and Robbins] compete at the highest level of track and field and excel in the classroom too; they are great representatives for our team."
The USTFCCCA also recognized the men's and women's track and field teams as members of the Division 1 All-Academic Track and Field teams. This recognition is awarded primarily based on performances at the National Championships and team GPA. The women's team posted a 3.29 GPA and the men had a 3.22 GPA, which placed them in the top ten among men's teams, according to the press release.
Over the summer, training has been run on a relatively independent basis, according to runner Kaleigh Wood '11. Students have worked with their individual coaches to design workouts to stay in shape until the season starts, Wood said. This includes regular running and lifting at the gym, she said.
Robbins added that although he is not in Hanover, he has stayed in touch with Harwick to make sure he goes into next season as prepared as possible.
The team is also preparing to welcome Will Thomas and Michelle Clayton as the new jumps and throws coaches, who are replacing retiring coach Carl Wallin. In an e-mail to The Dartmouth, Harwick described the coaches as "young, enthusiastic, and dedicated coaches that bring a lot to our program."
"They have already been talking to some of our athletes that are on campus this summer and working on their training programs," Harwick said in the e-mail. "This is a key recruiting time for us so they are working the phones as well. [Thomas and Clayton] have been impressed by all the work that Carl did to build the foundation of a tremendous field events group and they are excited about moving that forward."
Women's captain Natalie Stoll '10 said that while the team is excited to get new coaches, though they said they will miss Wallis.
"We're all very excited to meet them and welcome them," Stoll said. "We look forward to seeing how they can help us and what they can do with the athletes. I think it's a transition time, but I think it might be really great."
Wood said that while she thought the team dynamic might adjust a bit for team members with field event, the overall impact of the new coaches would be a positive one.
"All the athletes are so used to having one coach," Wood said of the change. "I think it'll give them more to work individually with athletes and kind of specialize."
Wunderlich added that while it might be different from the past years under Wallin, the new coaches will move the Big Green in the right direction.
"I think it's definitely what the team needs," Wunderlich said. "They're working on their weaknesses. I think our weaknesses will soon become our strengths and everything. I think it's really going to help the team a lot, it's going to be different, but I think it's really going to help."
