Ellen Koranda

WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University cross country teams excelled on the course this past fall — and Monday, the Cardinals were honored for their excellence in the classroom as well.

The SMU women's team, which placed 15th at the season-ending NCAA Regional Meet, boasted a team GPA of 3.72, second only to Goucher (Md.) College's 3.764 as the two schools headlined the NCAA Division III Cross Country Coaches Association All-Academic Cross Country Teams.

The Cardinal men's, team, meanwhile, finished in the CCCA All-Academic Top 25, slipping in at No. 24 with a team GPA of 3.34. Teams must have a cumulative grade-point-average of 3.1 among their top 12 runners to be eligible.

Ellen Koranda (Blue Earth, Minn.) also picked up a much-deserved individual honor, as her 3.85 cumulative GPA earned her Scholar All-American honors by the CCCA. To be eligible for this prestigious award, an athlete must have finished in the top 25 percent at the regional meet, and boast a GPA of 3.5 or higher. Koranda, an honorable-mention All-Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference selection, placed 38th at the season-ending meet.