The University of Southern Indiana landed four student-athletes on the CoSIDA Academic All-All-America Men’s and Women’s Cross Country/Track & Field teams Thursday.
Seniors Johnnie Guy (Palmyra, Indiana) and Tyler Pence (Springfield, Illinois) along with junior Josh Guy (Palmyra, Indiana) represented USI on the men’s squad, while sophomore Emily Roberts (Fredericktown, Ohio) represented the Screaming Eagles on the women’s team. Both Johnnie Guy and Pence earned first-team honors, while Josh Guy and Roberts earned second and third-team accolades, respectively.
After earning first-team Academic All-America honors in 2014 and 2015, Johnnie Guy becomes the first three-time Academic All-American in school history after amassing a 3.65 grade point average in engineering. Guy was the GLVC Runner of the Year as well as the GLVC Scholar Athlete of the Year for cross country and earned a combined five All-America awards in cross country, indoor track, and outdoor track, bringing his school-record total to 16.
Guy was the national champion in the 10,000 meters as a sophomore in 2014 before finishing second in the indoor 5,000 meters as a junior in 2015. He also finished second in the 10,000 meters in 2015.
Pence, a two-time national champion, is earning Academic All-America honors for the second straight season after earning second-team All-America honors in both the 5,000 meters and the 10,000 meters during the outdoor season. He was the national champion in the indoor 5,000 meters as well as the 10,000 meters in 2015.
An elementary education major with a 3.52 GPA, Pence was the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches’ Association Track Scholar Athlete of the Year in 2015 and finished his career with a combined nine All-America awards.
Josh Guy, the twin brother of Johnnie Guy, is claiming Academic All-America honors for the first time after earning All-Conference honors in both cross country and indoor track & field. Also an engineering major with a 3.64 GPA, Josh Guy earned second-team All-America honors as well as All-Region honors in the 10,000 meters this spring after earning first-team All-America honors in the event last year.
Roberts had a stellar season at USI as she garners her first Academic All-America award. The GLVC Scholar Athlete of the Year for Cross Country, Roberts finished fifth at the NCAA II Cross Country Championships to earn her first career All-America honor.
A pre-occupational therapy major with a 3.72 GPA, Roberts earned second-team All-America honors in the indoor 5,000 meters before shattering USI’s outdoor records in both the 5,000 meters and the 10,000 meters. She capped her season off with a second-place showing in the 10,000 meters at the NCAA II Outdoor Championships, bringing home first-team All-America honors in tow.
In the last three years, USI Cross Country/Track & Field student-athletes have racked up eight Academic All-America awards. USI’s men have recorded three straight top-10 finishes in the USTFCCCA Program of the Year standings.
