July 24, 2012

New Orleans, La. - The University of Tulsa's Chris O'Hare has been named the Division I Indoor Scholar Athlete of the Year for the 2012 men's track & field seasons, it was announced today by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

In addition, seven total TU track & field male athletes were named to the 2012 Division I All-Academic Track & Field team. Tulsa's Julian Frazier, Andrew Heyes, Bill Martin, Sam Masters, Chris O'Hare, Paul Pinheiro and Carl Stones each were named to the Division I All-Academic Track & Field team.

After becoming the school's first national track champion, O'Hare was named the Conference USA Indoor Male Track Athlete of the Year for the second-consecutive season. O'Hare has maintained a 3.65 grade point average in exercise and sports science.

A native of Edinburgh, Scotland, O'Hare won his first national title in the mile at the 2012 NCAA Championships. He broke the facility record with a mark of 4:01.66 and was named a first-team USTFCCCA All-American. He also won both the 800 meters and the mile at the Conference USA Championship and he has still yet to lose a race at the league meet in his three years. O'Hare owns the school record in three distances: the 800m, 1000m and mile. He also received the C-USA Winter Spirit of Service Award and carried a 3.65 cumulative GPA through the spring semester.

The USTFCCCA Scholar Athlete of the Year Award is determined from among those who earned All-Academic status and placed highest in individual events at the most recent NCAA Championships. Those who earn multiple individual championship titles rank higher in the tie-breaking process, and cumulative GPA is weighed as the final tiebreaker to establish a winner. Separate awards are given to track athletes and field athletes for the indoor and outdoor seasons, resulting in four categories.

To qualify for the USTFCCCA All-Academic Track and Field Team, the student-athlete must have compiled a cumulative grade point average of 3.25 and have met either of the following athletic standards: for the indoor season, a student-athlete must have finished the regular season ranked in the national top 96 in an individual event or ranked in the national top 48 (collective listing) in a relay event on the official NCAA POP list provided by TFRRS.org; for the outdoor season, a student-athlete must have participated in any round of the NCAA Division I Championships (including preliminary rounds).

Past Winners
Indoor Track & Field (track athlete)
2012: Chris O'Hare, Tulsa
2011: Miles Batty, BYU
2010: David McNeill, Northern Arizona
2009: Galen Rupp, Oregon
2008: Jason Richardson, South Carolina
Indoor Track & Field (field athlete)
2012: Curtis Beach, Duke
2011: Scott Roth, Washington State
2010: Ryan Whiting, Arizona State
2009: Jason Lewis, Arizona State
2008: Ryan Whiting, Arizona State
Indoor Track & Field (single award)
2007: Brad Gebauer, McNeese State
Outdoor Track & Field (track athlete)
2012: Amaechi Morton, Stanford
2011: Amaechi Morton, Stanford
2010: David McNeill, Northern Arizona
2009: Galen Rupp, Oregon
2008: Jason Richardson, South Carolina
Outdoor Track & Field (field athlete)
2012: Alexander Ziegler, Virginia Tech
2011: Alexander Ziegler, Virginia Tech
2010: Ryan Whiting, Arizona State
2009: Scott Sellers, Kansas State
2008: Cory Martin, Auburn
Outdoor Track & Field (single award)
2007: Barnabas Kirui, Mississippi