Trio Of Runners Receive Academic Honors
AMERICUS - Georgia Southwestern runners Mollie McGowan, Kaitlin Wilkinson and Micah Bucher recently received Peach Belt Conference women's cross country All-Academic honors.
McGowan and Wilkinson were named to the All-Academic team. Bucher received honorable mention.
McGowan's best finish in 2012 was 15th at the GSW Remembrance Run on Sept. 8. The Americus native posted a career-best 6k time of 27:13 at the Peach Belt Conference Championships on Oct. 20. An exercise science major, she currently has a 3.97 grade point average. McGowan, a three-time PBC All-Academic women's cross country selection, is a member of the Chi Alpha Sigma national college athlete honor society, the 2011-12 GSW Female Scholar Athlete of the Year and a Capital One Academic All-District selection.
Wilkinson's best finish this fall came on Sept. 29 at the Darton Invitational where she finished 25th. The Peachtree City native posted her season-best 5k time of 25:30 at the Point Invitational on Oct. 5. An exercise science major, she currently has a 3.74 grade point average.
Bucher, a Dahlonega native, had her best finish in 2012 at the GSW Remembrance Run where she came in 10th and posted a season-best 5k time of 22:31. A nursing major, she currently has a 3.30 grade point average.
The All-Academic team is part of a season-long program recognizing the outstanding accomplishments of PBC student-athletes in the classroom as well as on the field.
To be eligible for the All-Academic team, a student-athlete must 1) participate in at least half of his/her team’s events and be either a starter or significant contributor; 2) achieved a 3.30 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) and 3) completed at least one full academic year at his or her current institution. The Peach Belt Conference Sports Information Directors oversee and select the teams.
2012 Women's Cross Country All-Academic Team
| Player | School | Year | Hometown | GPA | Major |
| Erica Brooks | Young Harris | Jr. | Watkinsville, Ga. | 3.89 | Business & Public Policy |
| Stephanie Cipollone | Augusta State | Soph. | Grovetown, Ga. | 4.00 | Mathematics |
| Jessi Clark | Montevallo | Soph. | Fort Payne, Ala. | 3.89 | Mathematics |
| Haley Evans | Montevallo | Sr. | Fairhope, Ala. | 3.39 | Political Science/History |
| Paige Galvin | Clayton State | Sr. | Posen, Ill. | 3.60 | Psychology |
| Jill Kleist | Montevallo | Soph. | Auburn, Ala. | 4.00 | Spanish |
| Blair Long | UNC Pembroke | Sr. | St. Paul, N.C. | 3.71 | Sports Management |
| Livia Mahaffie | UNC Pembroke | Sr. | Puyallup, Wash. | 3.83 | Elementary Education |
| In-Mi Matsunaga | Montevallo | Jr. | Enterprise, Ala. |
4.00 | Accounting |
| Mollie McGowan | Georgia Southwestern | Jr. | Americus, Ga. | 3.97 | Exercise Science |
| Lauren Recchia | Montevallo | Soph. | Suwannee, Ga. | 4.00 | Speech Pathology |
| Lauren Turner | North Georgia | Sr. | Pendergrass, Ga. | 3.91 | Marketing |
| Samantha Walling | Clayton State | Jr. | Galt, Ga. | 3.80 | Nursing |
| Kaitlin Wilkinson | Georgia Southwestern | Sr. | Peachtree City, Ga. | 3.74 | Exercise Science |
Honorable Mention: Karley Barkus, North Georgia; London Barnhill, Francis Marion; Carrie Blankenship, UNC Pembroke; Micah Bucher, Georgia Southwestern; Jessica Carpenter, Augusta State; Sallie Davis, North Georgia; Victoria Dobson, Georgia College; Kendra Dorn, UNC Pembroke; Keely Gillespie, USC Aiken; Alexis Harvin, USC Aiken; Maia Kuhnen, Clayton State; Allison Lones, Georgia College; Brittany May, USC Aiken; Lexie Miller, North Georgia; Nicole Shine, North Georgia; Jessica Smith, Clayton State; Connie Steinmann, North Georgia; Taylor Strekel, Flagler; Katie Vanover, Montevallo; Christelle Vereb, Young Harris.