Kemboi Tabbed to National All-Academic Team for Track & Field
7/24/2012 12:00:00 AM | Track and Field
USTFCCCA D-I All-Academic Release
NEW ORLEANS – Junior Gilbert Kemboi (Eldoret, Kenya) of the USC Upstate track & field team was named a 2012 U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Division I All-Academic honoree for men's track as announced by the organization Tuesday, July 24. A total of 431 student-athletes, representing 148 institutions, compose the 2012 list.
This marks Kemboi's third academic honor for track and fifth total for the 2011-12 academic year. He was named the Indoor Track Atlantic Sun Conference Scholar Athlete of the Year and the Outdoor Track A-Sun Scholar Athlete of the Year. Kemboi collected USTFCCCA Division-I All-Academic accolades for cross country and was selected as the Cross Country A-Sun Scholar Athlete of the Year back in the fall.
"We all have heard that what you sow you will also reap," said head coach Natalie Smith. "Well that is definitely the case with Mr. Gilbert Kemboi. We love the fact that Gilbert is getting the recognition that he deserves as we get the chance to see him train to be the best each and every day."
During the indoor season, Kemboi won Atlantic Sun titles in both the 5,000-meter and 3,000-meter events. He broke his own A-Sun indoor meet record in the 5K with a time of 14:41.56. He set a school record in the 3K at the Tiger Paw Invitational Feb. 12 with a time of 8:20.36. Kemboi posted another program-best time in the men's 5,000-meter at the Niswonger Invite Jan. 28 with a time of 14:23.19.
"We are extremely proud of Gilbert and all of his accomplishments this past season," Smith said. "However, this one is even more impressive seeing that he is our programs first ever All-Academic athlete for track & field at this level. Gilbert is an exceptional young man and what makes him worthy of these types of accomplishments is that Gilbert is consistent in the classroom, on the track and in his life."
The junior claimed two titles at the 2012 A-Sun Outdoor Championship in the 10,000-meter and 5,000-meter. He posted an A-Sun meet record in the 10K with a time of 30.16.81. Kemboi won the 5K conference crown with a time of 14:59.49. He set a school record time of 14:16.66 in the 5K at the Duke Invitational and posted a program-best time of 29:51.99 in the 10K at N.C. State's Raleigh Relays. He advanced to compete in the NCAA East Regional Preliminaries, where he finished 15th in the 10K, just three spots out of qualifying for the regionals and a full 28 spots higher than his qualifying position. Kemboi did all of this, while boasting 3.457 GPA as a sociology major.
"Balance and consistency are vital ingredients to having great success and when you take a look at Gilbert's resume it is obvious that he values those things in his life," Smith said. "Gilbert is going into his senior season with us this year and I believe that we will see much more out of him in the 2012-13 campaign."
To qualify for the USTFCCCA All-Academic Track & Field Team, the student-athlete must have compiled a cumulative grade point average of 3.25 and have met either of the following athletic standards: for the indoor season, a student-athlete must have finished the regular season ranked in the national top 96 in an individual event or ranked in the national top 48 (collective listing) in a relay event on the official NCAA POP list provided by TFRRS.org; for the outdoor season, a student-athlete must have participated in any round of the NCAA Division I Championships (including preliminary rounds).
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