Lonning, Thour and Vincent Earn Academic Honors

For Immediate Release: Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Madison, Wis. – Three members of the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse men's cross country team have been named to the 2007 United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) NCAA Division III All-Academic Team.

Sophomore Connor Lonning of La Crosse (Aquinas), senior Dan Thour of Plymouth, Minn. (Wayzata) and sophomore Dallas Vincent of Oakfield (Mayville) were selected to the team.

As a squad, UW-L was also selected to the USTFCCCA All-Academic Team. The Eagles were the only WIAC institution to earn the academic award.

All three student-athletes competed at the 2007 NCAA III Championships with Thour placing 71st, Lonning 72nd and Vincent 74th. At the regional meet, Vincent finished 14th, Lonning 19th and Thour 23rd.

Lonning earned All-WIAC First Team honors after finishing fourth overall at the conference championships while Vincent was named to the second team with a 12th-place finish. Thour was 15th at the WIAC Championships.

UW-L won its fourth straight title at the WIAC Championships in 2007 and league-record 29th in school history. The Eagles also finished fifth at the 2007 NCAA III Championships. UW-L has earned 20 top-six finishes in school history at the championship meet, including winning national crowns in 1996, 2001 and 2005.

For a team to be considered for the USTFCCCA All-Academic Team award, they must have competed and compiled a team score at a NCAA regional meet. The team must also have a minimum 3.10 team cumulative grade point average.

For an individual to eligible for the award, a student-athlete must carry a minimum 3.50 cumulative grade point average and finish in the top 25 percent of the field at a NCAA regional meet.