Kamm of Williams Named USTFCCCA Scholar Athlete of the Year
Courtesy USTFCCCA/Williams Sports Information
NEW ORLEANS, La. – Williams' Connor Kamm '10 was named on Wednesday as Scholar Athletes of the Year in Division III for the 2010 track & field seasons by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). Kamm was one of four individuals honored by the USTFCCCA, as he was recognized as the top student-athlete for academics and athletics in outdoor track & field this season.
Scholar Athletes are 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 and separately for the indoor and outdoor seasons, resulting in four categories.
Kamm (Salt Lake City, Utah) posted a GPA of 3.76 majoring in Spanish and that performance combined with his win in the 5,000-meter run at the NCAA Outdoor Championships earned him the honor of US Track & Field Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Men's Outdoor Track & Field Scholar Athlete of the Year. Kamm is the first NESCAC Athlete to be so honored by the USTFCCCA.
No one would have predicted that Kamm would win this year's NCAA 5K at the end of the 2009 season, considering a year ago he could not even break 15:30 in the event. He won this year in 14:28, just two seconds off his personal best and almost 62 seconds faster than he ran in 2009.
It is unusual in a national championship final to come close to a personal best, as most often the race is more tactics than speed. Kamm was not only able to deliver one of his fastest times ever, but also out-kicked two talented runners to take the title in 14:28.06. Kamm's strength in the 5,000-meter and what proved to be his advantage over the rest of the competition is his ability to sustain a quick pace and then still unleash a blistering kick, which is exactly the strategy he employed en route to his 5K victory.
Kamm was one of seven Ephs to qualify for the USTFCCCA All-Academic Track and Field Team, compiling a cumulative grade point average of 3.30 and having met either the NCAA Division III Indoor or Outdoor automatic or provisional qualifying standard. The Eph total of seven academic honorees was the tops among NESCAC teams. Amherst had six representatives on the squad, while Tufts had five members of its team recognized.
