CHADRON, Neb. - For the second consecutive year, the Chadron State College men's track and field team was in the top five of the U.S. Track and Field Coaches Association Scholar Teams. The Eagles, who finished first in 2007, had a team cumulative GPA of 3.260 to finish fifth this past season. The University of Tampa led all institutions with a 3.42 team cumulative GPA, followed by Seattle Pacific with a 3.41 team GPA. The University of Tampa's women's team also achieved the highest cumulative GPA in 2008.

The Chadron State College women's team was also included as a scholar team. The women had a team cumulative GPA of 3.190, bettering their mark of 3.13 set in 2007.The Chadron State College men's and women's teams were the only Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference squads to be a scholar team of the year.

The selection of the All-Academic Indoor and Outdoor Scholar Teams of the Year award is based on a combination of academic and athletic achievements, with the top honor going to the team that had the combination of best overall finish at the Division II Indoor or Outdoor National Championships and cumulative GPA.

To be nominated, a team must carry a minimum 3.000 cumulative grade-point average.

In addition to the announcement of scholar teams, the USTFCCCA also announced the men's and women's 2008 Division II All-Academic Track and Field team.

A group of seven student-athletes, consisting of Mike Smith, Brandon Harrington, Mike Aimone, Jacob Gruver, Joe Schultz, Perisha Hinton and Stacy Girard, represent Chadron State.