May 11, 2012
GREENSBORO, N.C. – Two female and four male Georgia Tech track and field athletes have earned the distinction of being named to the All-ACC Academic Team following Tech’s indoor season.
Melanie Akwule and Leslie Njoku earned the honor for the women while Perron Jones, Nikita Kirillov, Rick Scheff and Aaron Unterberger got the nod on the men’s side. It is the second time on the academic team for both Njoku and Unterberger while the other four athletes were recognized for the first time in their careers.
To be eligible for All-ACC Academic Team consideration, a student-athlete must have earned a 3.00 grade point average for the previous semester and maintained a 3.00 cumulative average during his or her academic career.
The 2012 indoor season marked the final season of Njoku’s career. The senior made the most of it taking home fourth in her first ever pentathlon and eighth in the 60m hurdles at the ACC Championships to round out her career. Akwule, who also found herself in the 60m hurdles finals at the championships, took home seventh place.
On the men’s side, Jones took home sixth in the 200m dash at ACCs and was just shy of a 60m finals appearance with a ninth place prelims finish. Kirillov was the lone Jacket to earn All-ACC honors at the meet with his third place finish in the pole vault (5.25m, 17-2.75 feet) that broke his own school record set earlier in the season.
Scheff, appearing in his first ACC Championships after transferring to Tech from Missouri the year before, turned in a sixth place finish in both the 800m run prelims and finals. Unterberger finished just behind Kirillov in fourth place in the pole vault with a height of 5.15m (16-10.75). The duo combined for 11 of Tech’s points registered at the meet.
Tech’s track and field team is in action this weekend at the last chance GT Invitational at the George C. Griffin Track and Field Complex.
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