In order to qualify for the All-Academic Track and Field team, a student must have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.25 in addition to either finishing a regular indoor season ranked in the national top 96 in an individual event or ranked in the national top 48 in a relay event. For an outdoor season, a player must have participated in a round of the NCAA Division-I Championships in order to qualify.
In May, D'Agostino became the fourth Ivy League runner in history to break 16 minutes in the 5,000-meter run, finishing in 15:59:89 at NCAA East Regional Meet in Bloomington, Ind. D'Agostino, along with Janae Dunchack '14, was awarded the Outstanding Freshman Award in June. She then competed in the NCAA Division-I National collegiate 5K race, where she placed third.
Tanner, who served as co-captain of the track team in 2011, made a name for herself early in her college career by breaking a record in the 400-meter hurdles, running a 59.04. Along with Vailas and two other teammates, Tanner broke a school record in the 4x400-meter relay after only two years of running experience at the collegiate level. In 2011, Tanner earned the team MVP award.
Pappas who will serve as a cross-country team captain in the fall and as captain of the track and field team in the winter and spring was awarded the Herb E. Chase award in June, which is given to the athlete who has made the greatest improvement in her event.
Wypler, who qualified for the NCAA East Regional in the javelin, was recognized for her sportsmanship and awarded the Nathan D. Bugbee 1925 Memorial Track Prize.
Vailas set a personal record with a time of 4:25 in the 1,500-meter outdoor event this year.
To balance the time commitment associated with being a student-athlete, Pappas said she learned to do her school work while traveling for track.
"I've probably written more papers on buses and in hotel rooms than I have at school," she said.
Pappas said that her professors have generally been very understanding of her athletic commitments, but managing her busy schedule which also includes performing with the Dog Day Players improvisational comedy group can be "really hard."
"Running at Dartmouth is kind of a lifestyle choice," she said. "It's a three-season sport, so there's never an off-season. I find myself doing a lot of work on weekends."
Pappas said that running track helps her with studying because she often thinks of assignments or papers she needs to complete during workouts, which makes them seem less painful at least physically by comparison.
"I know I wouldn't be doing as well in school if I weren't running," she said. "They balance each other out really well."
One of the greatest resources available to student-athletes is Anne Hudak the assistant athletic director for student enhancement according to Vailas. Hudak provides academic advising to student athletes, Vailas said, and added that she has also taken advantage of the free tutoring available to student-athletes.
Both Pappas and Vailas said that their coach, Mark Coogan, is a major proponent of the team members' academic success.
"He has established the priority of academics always over athletics," Vailas said. "Athletics is a close second, but academics always comes first."
Staff writers Casey Aylward and Jay Webster contributed reporting to this article.
