Capuano, DelVecchio, Simon, Velichala Earn USTFCCCA All-Academic Honors

CLAREMONT, Calif. - Riley Capuano, Caroline DelVecchio, Brooke Simon and Shriya Velichala earned All-Academic honors from the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association, the organization announced today.

To earn USTFCCCA All-Academic honors, a student-athlete must carry at least a 3.3 cumulative grade point average, and place in the top 50 in the country in an individual event, or in the top 35 in a relay. 

DelVecchio and Simon both easily passed both criteria, earning All-America honors in their senior seasons. Simon ended up third in the pole vault at the NCAA Division III Championships, while DelVecchio came in fifth in the 400-meter hurdles, with both setting new SCIAC records as seniors as well.

Simon became the first SCIAC pole vaulter to clear four meters when she defended her league title (eventually reaching 4.03 meters), while DelVecchio ended with a PR of 1:00.39 to come in fifth at nationals. Both repeated as All-Americans as well, while Simon also earned All-America honors in the pole vault during indoor season as a junior and senior. 

Capuano, meanwhile, was the SCIAC champion in the 1500 meters and cracked the top-50 nationally with a 4:35.78 at the APU Last Chance Meet on May 13. Velichala joined DelVecchio in the national top-50 in the 400-meter hurdles when she clocked a 1:03.43 at the Redlands Final Qualifier to move into 32nd place nationally. 

The quartet helped CMS earn the SCIAC Championship with a narrow 6.5-point win over Redlands (173.5-167), the program's seventh straight league title.

In addition to the individual honors, the Athenas also earned USTFCCCA All-Academic Team honors for carrying a 3.48 team grade point average.