SSU men's XC matches program-best with seven academic all-conference (RSC Scholar-Athlete) selections

MIDDLETOWN, Ohio -- The men's cross country program at Shawnee State nabbed yet another terrific standard to claim for themselves in 2024 Thursday afternoon -- as seven individuals were named to the River States Conference Scholar-Athlete list, as announced by conference officials.

The seven honorees for the men's cross country program matches a program-best -- as the 2024 version of the Bears are just the second team in program history to have seven runners named to an academic all-conference list. Only the 2015 team, which also had seven runners make the list, had as many as the 2024 group did.

Three individuals -- Malachi Shugert, Aidan Judd, and Rowen Lloyd -- each finished with GPAs above 3.5 to head the charge. Shugert, who is now pursuing a master's in business adminstration, earned a 3.84 GPA at the time of submission as an accounting major, while Judd, who nabbed a 3.65 GPA, is majoring as an intervention specialist. Lloyd, who holds a 3.54 GPA, is majoring in biomedical sciences.

The remaining four harriers all have GPAs that range between 3.4 to 3.45. Luke Butler, who has a 3.45 in nursing, heads the second group while Isaiah Lanoy's 3.43 in marketing follows. Walker Pannell's 3.41 in political science and Jared Flowers' 3.4 GPA in mathematical sciences rounds out the RSC Scholar-Athlete selections.

In addition to the above seven individuals, senior runner Dylan French raised his GPA to the 3.25 GPA mark after the submission deadline. French holds a 3.25 on the nose as a plastics engineering technology major.