NEW ORLEANS - The UC San Diego cross country program had five student-athletes named to the 2009 U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic Teams that were released last week. Elena Inouye, Aaryn Kobayashi, Marie Schaper, and Bre Schofield took home the honor on the women's side, while Jeremy Riley earned a spot for the men.

To qualify for All-Academic honors, a student-athlete must have completed at least 12 semester/quarter hours through the semester of competition at the institution to be eligible. The student-athlete must have at least a 3.25 cumulative grade point average and have placed in the top 30% of the total number of athletes eligible to compete at the respective regional championships or have placed in the top 50% of the field at the NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships.

"The academic and athletic balance is obviously very important for our program and we're very pleased that we had five individuals earn this honor," head coach Nate Garcia said. "This is a testament to the hard work our student-athletes are putting in both in the classroom and out."

The Triton women finished second at the California Collegiate Athletic Association Championships in McKinleyville, Calif. in October and went on to place seventh at the NCAA Division II West Regionals in San Francisco two weeks later. Schofield was UCSD's top individual finisher in the Regional meet, placing 18th overall with a time of 21:52.8. Inouye (22:53.3), Schaper (23:01.5), and Kobayashi (23:19.5) were the next three runners to score for the Tritons on the day.

Riley led the UCSD men's team to a ninth place finish at the West Regional Championships, finishing 35th individually with a final time of 32:48.1. The Tritons finished fifth at the CCAA meet, with Riley placing 23rd overall.