July 14, 2009
NEW ORLEANS – Georgia Tech seniors E.C. Gibbs and Matt DiDia, along with sophomores Hunter Clasen and Subbu Sivanesan, were named Tuesday to the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) 2009 All-Academic Team.
Tech’s men and women combined to have nine student-athletes honored by the USTFCCCA, one more than the Yellow Jackets combined total for the last two years. The four selections for the men this year are the most in the program’s history, while the women’s five is also a program record.
Gibbs earned the honor for the second consecutive year after holding a 3.45 grade-point average in Management this past season. The Cullman, Ala. native ended his career on the Flats having run the third-fastest 1500-meter time (3:41.65) in school history. He also posted the 12th-best time in the country during his senior year and second best in the East Region this season. Gibbs garnered Outdoor All-ACC honors at the conference championships.
During his four-year career, Gibbs earned Academic All-ACC honors three times in track and field and once in cross country.
Clasen, DiDia and Sivanesan all made their first appearance on the team. The trio was part of the men’s 4×400-meter relay team, which placed fourth at both the ACC Indoor and Outdoor Championships.
A day after the women’s All-Academic team had a record 531 members, the men’s national squad set a record of its own with 327 student-athletes representing 107 Division I institutions on the list.
In order to qualify for the USTFCCCA All-Academic Track and Field Team, the student-athlete must have compiled a cumulative grade point average of 3.25 and met either the NCAA Division I Indoor automatic or provisional qualifying standard or the NCAA Division I Outdoor regional or national qualifying standard in his respective event.
2009 USTFCCCA All-Academic Honorees
Men: Hunter Clasen, Matt DiDia, E.C. Gibbs, Subbu Sivanesan
Women: Alana Clooten, Mary Kate DuBard, Jasmine Isley, Erica Penk, Joanna Wright
