COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The University of Colorado Colorado Springs cross country teams are well represented on the 2023 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Women's and Men's Cross Country All-Academic Teams, announced Wednesday by the league office. Twenty-two student-athletes across the two programs were recognized with academic distinction and were led by RMAC All-Academic First Team selections of Nadine Almasri, Molly Breuer, Anna Fauske and Jagger Zlotoff.
 
Colorado School of Mines swept the RMAC Men's and Women's Academic Runner of the Year awards as Duncan Fuehne and Margaux Basart collected the highest point totals.
 
The RMAC All-Academic First Team and Academic Player of the Year awards are voted on by the conference's sports information directors. To be eligible for consideration on the RMAC All-Academic First Team, a student-athlete must have been an active student at the institution for at least two consecutive semesters or three consecutive quarters and carry a cumulative 3.50 grade point average (GPA). All student-athletes that met those requirements but were not selected for the First Team, or have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.30, automatically qualify for the Honor Roll.
 
A two-time RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll honoree, Nadine Almasri is making her first appearance on the RMAC All-Academic First Team. The redshirt-junior ran in six meets for the Mountain Lions this season, wrapping up the season with a 123^rd place finish behind a personal best 6k time of 21:51.0 at the NCAA Division II National Championship meet on Nov. 18 in Joplin, Mo.  A Health Care Science major with a perfect 4.00 GPA, Almasri posted finishes of 48^th place and 29^th place at the NCAA South Central Regional and RMAC Championship meets, respectively.  The Colorado Springs, Colo. native started her season on Sept. 2 at the UCCS Rust Buster, running her fastest 5k time of her career in 18:57 for a 19^th place finish.
 
Molly Breuer secured her career best 6k time of 21:45.1 on Nov. 18 at the NCAA Division II National Championship meet in Joplin, Mo., crossing the finish line 112^th overall.  She donned the black and gold in five races this season and posted her best finish in the season opening UCCS Rust Buster on Sept. 2 with a seventh-place mark in 18:18.3.  Hailing from Boerne, Texas, Breuer is earning a 3.963 GPA in the Nursing program.
 
One of the top cross country runners in program history, Anna Fauske ran to her second straight All-America accolade after recording her fastest 6k time of her career (20:09.5) to end the season with a ninth place finish at the NCAA Division II National Championship meet.  Prior to her ninth-place finish, she collected her second straight All-South Central Region award with a fourth-place finish at the NCAA South Central Regional meet in Lubbock, Texas.  Her post-season run began Oct. 21 at the RMAC Championship meet where she collected her second All-RMAC First Team honor with a fifth-place finish.  The junior from Sherwood, Wis. is earning a Health Care Science degree with a 3.534 GPA.
 
A redshirt sophomore from Gilbert, Ariz., Jagger Zlotoff closed the 2023 season on a high note after running a personal best 10k time of 30:27.0 at the NCAA Division II National Championship meet on Nov. 18 in Joplin, Mo., finishing 45^th overall.  Two weeks earlier at the South Central regional meet, Zlotoff crossed the finish line in 27^th place with a time of 30:53.5.  He started the post-season on Oct. 21 at the conference championships, recording an 8k personal best time of 24:48.0, earning him 13^th place overall and a spot on the All-RMAC First Team.  A junior academically, Zlotoff is earning a Computer Science degree at UCCS and owns a 3.525 GPA.
 
2023 RMAC WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY ALL-ACADEMIC HONOR ROLL
Abby Bartel – R-Fr., Fremont, Wis., 3.818 GPA, Nursing
Audrey Brunken – R-Fr., Moreno Valley, Calif., 3.434 GPA, Exercise Science
Madison Chavez – R-Fr., San Ramon, Calif., 4.00 GPA, Mechanical Engineering
Rachel Goodrich – R-Jr., Golden, Colo., 3.956 GPA, Criminal Justice
Kelsey Graff – R-Jr., Montrose, Colo., 3.911 GPA, Communications
Kate Hedlund – R-Jr., Manchester, Conn., 3.476 GPA, Business
Brooke Moss – R-So., Colorado Springs, Colo., 3.655 GPA, Exercise Science
Kaya Pillivant – R-Fr., Cheyenne, Wyo., 3.773 GPA, Exercise Science
Rachel Richtman – R-Jr., Elburn, Ill., 3.897 GPA, Spanish
 
2023 RMAC MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY ALL-ACADEMIC HONOR ROLL
Justin Banta – R-Jr., Colorado Springs, Colo., 3.303 GPA, Business
Tim Chambers – Gr., Greeley, Colo., 3.478 GPA, Geography
Koy Cunningham – R-Fr., Monument, Colo., 3.930 GPA, Exercise Science
Jack Donze – R-So., Arvada, Colo., 3.867 GPA, Mechanical Engineering
Joseph Hamilton – R-So., Mesa, Ariz., 4.000 GPA, Biochemistry
Nathan Hayes – Sr., Santa Rosa, Calif., 3.316 GPA, Exercise Science
Joseph Impellitteri – R-Fr., Hebron, Ky., 3.610 GPA, Communications
Pablo Lomeli – R-So., Austin, Texas, 3.668 GPA, Exercise Science
Turner Schad – R-Fr., Sauk Rapids, Minn., 3.864 GPA, Nursing