Gabe Savage

Darcy Dubuc

Springfield, Ohio — In addition to their lengthy list of 2008 on-course accomplishments, Wittenberg cross country standouts Darcy Dubuc, class of 2012 from Grand Haven, Mich., and Gabe Savage, class of 2009 from Lewisburg, Ohio, were recently named to the NCAA Division III United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic Team.

Dubuc and Savage both landed in the top quarter of the field in the 2008 NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional meet at Otterbein in November 2008 and met the grade point average standards to be considered for the award.

Savage wrapped up his collegiate cross country career in impressive fashion, finishing as the top Tiger harrier in seven of the team's nine competitions in 2008. He also headlined the team's seventh-place finish at the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC), the program's best mark since 1999. Named team MVP, Savage also guided the Tigers to an 18th-place team finish in the NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional meet, while individually finishing just outside the all-region selections.

An education major, Savage compiled a stellar 3.63 grade point average while leading the men's team to a cumulative 3.20 GPA, the best among Wittenberg's men's programs during the 2008 fall semester grading period.

Dubuc's first-year recognitions on the course included a second-team All-NCAC nod, as she joined a pair of teammates as the first Tigers to earn All-NCAC recognition since 2003. In the process, the team established a new program standard with a fourth-place finish in the conference championships. Dubuc went on to earn all-region honors after placing 21st individually at the Great Lakes Regional meet, narrowly missing a national berth.

In mid-season meets, Dubuc won the Wittenberg Invitational and added an eighth-place finish among NCAA Division III competition at the All-Ohio Championships. As the top finisher among first-year students in the race, Dubuc was named the top NCAA Division III Freshman Female in Ohio by the coaches.

Dubuc started her collegiate career with perfection in the classroom to join her stellar performances on the course. A biology major, Dubuc compiled a 4.0 in her first semester, highlighting a team average of 3.34.

In addition, both Tiger teams earned All-Academic Team awards for their collective performances in the classroom. The Tiger women were among a record total of 156 Division III programs to receive the honor, while the Tiger men were among 103 Division III programs to make the list. To be considered, a team must have competed and compiled a team score at an NCAA regional meet while earning a minimum team cumulative grade point average of 3.10.

The USTFCCCA includes more than 8,000 coaching members of all three NCAA divisions as well as high schools from across the country. Wittenberg's coaching staff, led by third-year head coach Craig Penney, joins a list that includes coaches from 91 percent of NCAA institutions.

Written By: Ben Bradley

014-09

Related Links: Wittenberg Women's Cross Country Home Page Wittenberg Men's Cross Country Home Page