Happe named Pac-12 Men's Cross Country Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Arizona State University track and field and cross country standout Nick Happe was named the Pac-12 Men’s Cross Country Scholar-Athlete of the Year, the Conference office announced on Saturday at the Pac-12 Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Championships.
The award, which is presented in each of the 22 sports the Conference sponsors, was established to honor collegiate student-athletes that are standouts both academically and in their sports discipline.
A native of St. Charles, Mo., Nick Happe finished in the top 25 of the NCAA West Region race to earn all-region honors in 2011. He is the school’s indoor track & field record holder in the mile, running in a time of 3:58.78 in 2011, eventually earning second team All-America nods last year. He has also posted the third-fastest indoor times in school history in the 3,000 meters (7:55.08) and 5,000 meters (13:54.15).
Happe earned his first All-Conference honors on Saturday courtesy of an 11th-place run at the Pac-12 Championships, earning second-team accolades in the process and leading the team to a strong fourth-place finish at the event.
A finance major with a 4.09 cumulative grade point average, Happe was a first team Academic All-Pac-12 honoree in cross country in 2010 and 2011, while also earning first team honors on the track and field all-academic squad. He also earned a spot on the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association’s (USTFCCCA) All-Academic squad in 2011 and 2012, and was voted a third team CoSIDA Academic All-American last year, an award that is voted on by the nation’s College Sports In
Happe’s honor marks the third time in the last five years that a Sun Devil has earned the Pac-12 Cross Country Scholar-Athlete of the Year honor. Brandon Bethke earned the award in 2009 while Jenna Kingma did so in 2008.
Happe is next slated to compete at the NCAA West Regional Championships in Seattle, Wash., on November 9.
About the award
In order to be eligible for the Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year award, student-athletes must be a senior (in athletics eligibility) on track to receive a degree, have a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher, participate in at least 50 percent of the scheduled contests in the sport and have a minimum one year in residence at the institution. Each Pac-12 institution may nominate one individual per sport, and the winners are selected by a committee of Pac-12 staff members at the conclusion of each sport’s regular season. The athletics accomplishments of the nominees are a consideration in voting for the award.
A Scholar-Athlete of the Year will be named in each of the Pac-12’s 22 sponsored sports: baseball, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, men’s cross country, women’s cross country, football, men’s golf, women’s golf, women’s gymnastics, men’s rowing, women’s rowing, men’s soccer, women’s soccer, softball, men’s swimming & diving, women’s swimming & diving, men’s tennis, women’s tennis, men’s track & field, women’s track & field, women’s volleyball, and wrestling. The award was first established during the 2008-09 academic year.