The Cyclone cross country teams have proved that they are contributors to the classroom as well as to the course stats for Iowa State.

Ten members of the ISU women’s cross country team earned first-team Academic All-Big 12 honors. Four members of the men’s team received this award while another Cyclone runner placed his name on the honorable-mention list.

Jana Peterson of the women’s team said she was glad to hear her team had such success in school.

“I think that it’s great, ” she said. “It shows that people on our team are well-rounded.”

In order to collect such honors, student-athletes must have a cumulative 3.0 GPA or must post at least a 3.0 GPA in the previous two academic semesters.

These athletes must also be contributors to their team. First-team honorees are regulars in competition and must have a minimum 3.2 GPA, while the honorable mentions must register a GPA between a 3.0 and 3.19.

Peterson said it is good that people care about class work because “we all know that our running careers won’t last forever, so it’s important to maintain well-balanced lives.”

Men’s runner Jeremy Meyer, said, “[Academics] are important to me is because I’m not going to have a career as a professional distance runner, so I better be able to do something else. My education will help me do that.”

Peterson attributed the success of the women’s team to its self-motivation, apparent in both school and sports.

“Our work ethic in the classroom carries over to the work we do on the course,” she said.

The 10 women who received first-team honors include Stacey Armstrong, Erin Bresnan, Jennifer Caprisi, Amber Garrett, Emily Martini, Laurie Meythaler, Gayle Nugent, Maaike Ouwersloot, Peterson and Michelle Skidmore.

Nugent was one of eight Big 12 athletes in a fall sport who earned a flawless 4.0 GPA.

The Cyclone men honing first team honors includes Meyer, Ryan Larson, Matt Williams and Simeon Wright.

ISU’s Saul Lempirikany, who was named Big 12 Runner of the Week earlier this season, made the honorable-mention list.

This weekend the traveling teams head to Stillwater, Okla., to compete in the Big 12 Cross Country Championship Meet. The women runners take to the grassy loop at 11 a.m., and the men’s competition begins at noon.