AUGUSTA, GA -- The Peach Belt Conference has released the 2021 men's cross country Team of Academic Distinction, presented by Barnes & Noble College. The team is a part of the PBC's larger initiative to celebrate the academic achievements of PBC student-athletes and is modeled on the CoSIDA Academic All-America program.
To be eligible for the 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 and has reached sophomore athletic eligibility. The Peach Belt Conference Sports Information Directors oversee the program.
Barnes & Noble College currently operates more than 1,400 campus bookstores and their school-branded e-commerce sites, serving more than 6 million college students and faculty nationwide. As a strategic partner, Barnes & Noble College is a retail and learning company. The company is headquartered in Basking Ridge, New Jersey.
2021 Men's Cross Country Team of Academic Distinction
| Name |
School |
Year |
Hometown |
GPA |
Major (Minor) |
| Kai Brickey |
Augusta |
Jr. |
Suwanee, Ga. |
3.30 |
English |
| Courtland Buntin |
Georgia College |
Sr. |
Albany, Ga. |
3.81 |
Chemistry |
| Chase Couch |
Lander |
Sr. |
Lexington, S.C. |
3.57 |
Elementary Education |
| Hayden Durrett |
Young Harris |
Fr. |
Gray, Ga. |
3.53 |
Business Administration |
| Gray Frederick |
Georgia College |
So. |
Newnan, Ga. |
3.57 |
Management Information Systems |
| Thomas Hall |
Georgia College |
Sr. |
Fayetteville, Ga. |
3.50 |
Accounting |
| Daniel Iordanov |
Georgia Southwestern |
Fr. |
Americus, Ga. |
3.57 |
Management |
| Chase Kennedy |
Augusta |
Sr. |
Maysville, Ga. |
3.50 |
Special Education |
| James Kilgore |
Clayton State |
So. |
Milledgeville, Ga. |
3.32 |
Nursing |
| Nhan Le |
Young Harris |
So. |
Ringgold, Ga. |
3.55 |
Graphic Design |
| Thomas Mellendorf |
Young Harris |
So. |
Blairsville, Ga. |
3.92 |
Mathematics |
| Joel Nesi |
Flagler |
So. |
Middleburg, Fla. |
3.35 |
Business Administration |
| Trent Powers |
Lander |
Sr. |
Society Hill, S.C. |
3.97 |
Computer Science |
| Kyle Ready |
USC Aiken |
Sr. |
Aiken, S.C. |
3.733 |
Nursing |
| Carlos Rodriguez |
Augusta |
So. |
Grovetown, Ga. |
3.75 |
Communication |
| Gavin Ross |
Flagler |
Fr. |
Wellington, Fla. |
3.35 |
Computer Information Systems |
| Luke Surowiec |
Young Harris |
So. |
Buford, Ga. |
4.00 |
Spanish (English) |
| Savian Taylor |
Columbus State |
So. |
Smiths Station, Ala. |
3.80 |
Kinesiology |
| Hans Troyer |
Augusta |
Jr. |
Newnan, Ga. |
3.67 |
Kinesiology |
| Kai Vigardt |
Young Harris |
Fr. |
Lawrenceville, Ga. |
3.35 |
Outdoor Studies |
| David Weidner |
USC Aiken |
Sr. |
Treasure Island, Fla. |
3.58 |
Exercise & Sport Science |
NOTE - The freshman listed above are 'second-year' freshmen who competed with their team in the 2020-21 season and were granted an extra year of eligibility from the NCAA. Any true freshmen who began their collegiate eligibility in the fall of 2021 were not eligible to be included.