McDonald named Big South Men’s XC Scholar-Athlete of the Year; Farley joins him as All-Academic Team selection
11/1/2024 6:45:00 PM | Cross Country
CHARLOTTE - After a record-setting day at the Big South Championships, the honors continued to roll in for the Highlanders as Liam McDonald was named the conference's Men's Cross Country Scholar-Athlete of the Year to go with being a Men's All-Academic Team honoree while Mia Farley joined him as a Women's All-Academic Team selection.
The announcement was made by the league office on Friday, following the conclusion of the men's and women's championship races.
"Mia and Liam winning all-academic awards, as well as Liam garnering the Scholar athlete is a wonderful achievement for them both," Radford head cross country coach Sam Bradley. "It highlights the academic prowess that we strive for within both programs."
McDonald, a Winchester, Virginia native, has competed in four meets for the Highlanders so far during the 2024 campaign. He finished 36th overall at the Big South Championship and put up two additional top-35 performances at both the Roanoke XC and Hokie Invitationals. The junior dropped his personal best time of 26:06.4 at the Roanoke Invite.
To go with his strong season, McDonald has also been a standout in the classroom with a 3.98 GPA as an Allied Health Sciences major.
McDonald is the first Highlander student-athlete to be named the Men's Scholar-Athlete of the Year since Goran Nava claimed the award back in 2003. It was the first All-Academic Team honor of his collegiate career.
Farley was also honored for her stellar work both on the course and in the classroom as a Women's All-Academic Team honoree.
The sophomore from Blacksburg, Virginia has taken to the line for all five of Radford's meets so far this season, highlighted by a 37th-place finish at the Big South Championship. She has posted two more top-40 finishes at the Roanoke XC and Hokie Invitationals, to go with a top-55 showing at App State's Firetower Project meet. Farley has also set her personal record in the 5K and 6K in back-to-back weeks with times of 19:08.1 and 22:52.5, respectively.
To go with the success on the course, Farley was perfect in the classroom with a 4.0 GPA as a Allied Health Sciences major.
It too was the first Big South All-Academic selection of her Radford career.
GET IN THE GAME: FOLLOW RADFORD CROSS COUNTRY
Get in the game and get New River City made by staying up to date with the latest from Radford Cross Country through @RadfordTrackXC on X, @radfordtrackxc on Instagram, Radford Track & Field and Cross Country on Facebook and subscribe to the Radford Athletics Youtube channel.
The announcement was made by the league office on Friday, following the conclusion of the men's and women's championship races.
"Mia and Liam winning all-academic awards, as well as Liam garnering the Scholar athlete is a wonderful achievement for them both," Radford head cross country coach Sam Bradley. "It highlights the academic prowess that we strive for within both programs."
McDonald, a Winchester, Virginia native, has competed in four meets for the Highlanders so far during the 2024 campaign. He finished 36th overall at the Big South Championship and put up two additional top-35 performances at both the Roanoke XC and Hokie Invitationals. The junior dropped his personal best time of 26:06.4 at the Roanoke Invite.
To go with his strong season, McDonald has also been a standout in the classroom with a 3.98 GPA as an Allied Health Sciences major.
McDonald is the first Highlander student-athlete to be named the Men's Scholar-Athlete of the Year since Goran Nava claimed the award back in 2003. It was the first All-Academic Team honor of his collegiate career.
Farley was also honored for her stellar work both on the course and in the classroom as a Women's All-Academic Team honoree.
The sophomore from Blacksburg, Virginia has taken to the line for all five of Radford's meets so far this season, highlighted by a 37th-place finish at the Big South Championship. She has posted two more top-40 finishes at the Roanoke XC and Hokie Invitationals, to go with a top-55 showing at App State's Firetower Project meet. Farley has also set her personal record in the 5K and 6K in back-to-back weeks with times of 19:08.1 and 22:52.5, respectively.
To go with the success on the course, Farley was perfect in the classroom with a 4.0 GPA as a Allied Health Sciences major.
It too was the first Big South All-Academic selection of her Radford career.
GET IN THE GAME: FOLLOW RADFORD CROSS COUNTRY
Get in the game and get New River City made by staying up to date with the latest from Radford Cross Country through @RadfordTrackXC on X, @radfordtrackxc on Instagram, Radford Track & Field and Cross Country on Facebook and subscribe to the Radford Athletics Youtube channel.
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