GREENSBORO, N.C. – Virginia Tech distance runner Peter Seufer added to his list of accomplishments Thursday when the Atlantic Coast Conference office named him the league's Men's Cross Country Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
Seufer, a redshirt senior from Lynchburg, Virginia, became the first Virginia Tech men's runner ever to be named the ACC Men's Cross Country Scholar-Athlete of the Year. The ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards were established in September of 2007 to be awarded annually to the top junior or senior student-athlete in their respective sports. Candidates for the awards must have maintained a 3.0 grade-point average for their careers, as well as a 3.0 for each of the past two semesters.
Seufer earned his degree in finance last year and is on track to earn a second degree in economics in May. On the cross country courses this season, he dominated, winning the ACC title for the second consecutive season and earning All-America honors for the second straight season as well. His fourth-place finish at the NCAA Championships held in Terre Haute, Indiana in late November was the best finish ever by a Tech men's distance runner at the national meet.
Seufer was one of six Virginia Tech runners to earn a spot on the All-ACC Academic Team. Minimum academic requirements for selection to the All-ACC Academic Team are a 3.0 grade-point average for the previous semester and a 3.0 cumulative average during one's academic career. Athletic achievements during the most recent season are also considered in selecting the All-ACC Academic Team.
Seufer, senior Diego Zarate and sophomore Antonio Lopez Segura represented the Hokies on the men's All-ACC Academic Team. Zarate, who is pursuing degrees in both criminology and psychology, earned All-ACC honors this past season after finishing seventh at the ACC Championships, and he later earned All-Southeast Region honors with his 22nd-place finish at the regional meet. In his first season of cross country, Lopez Segura, who enrolled at Tech in January of 2018, is pursuing a degree in engineering. He was 30th at this year's ACC Championships.
On the women's side, senior Sara Freix, senior Sarah Edwards, and graduate student Kyra Lopez made the All-ACC Academic Team. Freix is pursuing a degree in biological systems engineering along with a minor in green engineering, and she enjoyed her best season in cross country, winning a silver medal at the ACC Championships, coming in seventh at the NCAA Southeast Region meet, and earning an at-large spot at the NCAA Championships – her first appearance at the national meet.
Edwards is pursuing a degree in interior design, along with a minor in landscape architecture, and she earned All-Southeast Region honors this past season after finishing 15th at the regional meet. Lopez, a graduate transfer from Boise State, is pursuing her master's degree in human nutrition, foods and exercise. Lopez earned All-ACC and All-Southeast Region honors after her 15th- and 13th-place finishes, respectively.
For a complete listing all those who made the All-ACC Academic Team, please click here.