Five Jackets Named to All-ACC Academic Track & Field Teams

THE FLATS –Nicole Fegans, Shanty Papakosta and Lydia Troupe were named to the Atlantic Coast Conference All-Academic team for women’s outdoor track and field, while Zach Jaeger and John Watkins made the men’s team, it was announced Friday by the conference office.

The most accomplished distance runner in Tech history on the women’s side, Fegans raced for the final time in a Tech uniform with a 21^st-place finish in the 5000 meters at the NCAA Championships. The Douglasville, Ga., senior, who graduated in May with her bachelor’s degree in business administration, became an All-ACC track performer for the fifth time when she finished third in the event at the ACC Outdoor Championships. She also set a Tech record in the 1500 meters earlier in the spring.

Papakosta, a sophomore from Athens, Greece, majoring in earth and atmospheric sciences, earned first-team All-ACC honors for the second time this spring when she placed second in the high jump. She later recorded a personal best of 1.81 meters (5 feet, 11.25 inches) in the NCAA East Region preliminary round.. Troupe, a junior from Kennesaw, Ga., majoring in psychology, earned All-ACC honors with a third-place finish in the 400-meter hurdles, also with a personal-best time of 58.90 seconds.

Jaeger, a junior from Peachtree City, Ga., majoring in business administration, was named ACC performer of the week on March 22 as a distance runner after earning second-team All-ACC recognition during the indoor season. Watkins, a sophomore from Hoover, Ala., majoring in electrical engineering, qualified for the 2022 NCAA East Regional preliminaries in the triple jump after finishing eighth at the ACC Championships.

Louisville pole vaulter Gabriela Leon was named the ACC Women’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year, while Florida State hurdler Trey Cunningham and Notre Dame distance runner Dylan Jacobs are the ACC Men’s Co-Scholar Athletes of the Year. All were NCAA champions in their respective events.

Minimum academic requirements for selection to the All-ACC Academic Team are a 3.0 grade point average for the previous semester and a 3.0 cumulative average during one’s academic career. Athletic achievements during the most recent season are also considered in selecting the All-ACC Academic Team.

The ACC Honor Roll, which recognizes all conference student-athletes with a grade point average of 3.0 for the current academic year, will be released in July.

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