Six members of the Santa Clara University men’s cross country team have received West Coast Conference (WCC) All-Academic Honorable Mention recognition, according to an announcement from the conference office on Thursday.
The athletes honored are Kyle Berg, Inbaa Chennai, James Ponzio, Jack Tolbert, Nico Trepanier, and Daniel Vaca. This marks the fifth consecutive year that at least six Broncos have earned WCC all-academic honors.
Kyle Berg, an environmental studies major with a 3.527 GPA, consistently finished among Santa Clara’s top-seven runners in all four races he entered this season. He led the team at the Kim Duyst Twilight meet on September 13 with a time of 24:08.6 and placed 38th at the WCC Championship as Santa Clara’s fourth runner. Berg is also a three-time recipient of the WCC Commissioner’s Honor Roll.
Inbaa Chennai majors in mechanical engineering and holds a 3.410 GPA. He competed in three meets during the season and was Santa Clara’s top finisher at the USF Invitational on August 29, where he placed tenth overall.
James Ponzio is studying bioengineering with a 3.356 GPA. He participated in four meets and twice finished among Santa Clara’s top-seven runners. Ponzio helped secure a team title at the Pacific Invitational by finishing fifteenth overall.
Finance major Jack Tolbert has a 3.415 GPA and raced in three out of six competition weekends for Santa Clara this season. He was one of the team’s top-three finishers twice and performed strongly at both regional and conference championships.
Junior Nico Trepanier majors in accounting and information systems with a 3.359 GPA. He competed in four meets this fall, contributing to Santa Clara’s win at the Pacific Invitational by placing twenty-seventh.
Senior Daniel Vaca rounds out the honorees as a political science major with a 3.713 GPA. Vaca raced in five meets for Santa Clara this season, finishing among the team’s top-seven each time and achieving an eight-kilometer personal best at the WCC Championship.
To qualify for WCC All-Academic recognition in cross country, student-athletes must maintain at least a 3.20 cumulative GPA from their most recent spring term, be key contributors during competitions, have sophomore standing or higher after spending at least one full year at their institution, and participate in no fewer than half of their team’s meets.
