Trinity Track Teams and Men's Captains Earn Academic All-American Honors

 Trinity College

Hartford, Conn., Aug. 30 - The Trinity College men’s and women’s outdoor track and field teams, and 2002-03 Bantam men’s outdoor track and field senior co-captains Ryan Bak (Suffield, Conn.) and Jim Emord (Bridgewater, Mass.) were selected to the 2002 United States Track Coaches Association (USTCA) All-Academic Team. Each team must maintain a grade-point average of 3.10 while each student-athlete selected must have a g.p.a of 3.25 to qualify for the award.

Ryan Bak '03

The Trinity men’s track and field team, coached by George Suitor (10th season) finished eighth in the NESCAC Championships, 14th in the New England Division III Championships and 33rd in the NCAA Division III National Championships this season. The women’s team, also coached by Suitor, finished 10th in the NESCAC Championships and 13th in the New England Division III Championships.

An All-American, All-Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC), All-New England Division III, and All-NESCAC performer this spring, Bak earned All-American honors in both the 1,500-meter run and the 5,000-meter run at the NCAA Division III Nationals to end the outdoor campaign. Also, the NCAA Division III Indoor Track 1,500-meter champion this winter, Bak won the 1,500-meter title in the NESCAC Championships and the 800-meter title in the NCAA Division III New England Championships this spring. He holds Trinity records in the 800 meters (1:53.22), 1,000 meters (2:27.87), 1,500 meters (3:48.99), 3,000 meters (8:19.78), and 5,000 meters (14:35.37).

An All-American in indoor track the last two seasons, in outdoor track last spring, and in cross country this fall, Bak was the NESCAC Men’s Cross Country Runner of the Year in 2001. He was a NESCAC All-Academic selection for the fall seasons in 2000 and 2001 and the winter season of 2001-02, and was selected as the College’s Junior Male Scholar Athlete of the Year for 2001-02. Bak is a graduate of Suffield High School, and maintains a 3.63 GPA as an economics and political science major at Trinity.

Emord, an All-New England Open selection in the 5,000-meter run this spring, was a NESCAC All-Academic selection this fall in cross country. Emord has earned All-New England track honors throughout his career and was an All-American in cross country this fall. He holds the College’s all-time record in the 10,000-meter run with a time of 31:48. A graduate of Bridgewater-Raynham High School, Emord maintains a 3.45 GPA as a mathematics major at Trinity.