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Athlete Recognized for Academic Success

12/14/16

Cole Thornton is only a sophomore but he’s pulling ahead as a role model in athletics and in the classroom.

Thornton, a physics major from Jasper, was recently named a 2016 SSAC Men’s Cross Country Scholar-Athlete.

“Cole is an extremely hard worker academically and athletically,” said his coach, Margie Bruner. “He realizes how important his efforts are in being successful. He is a great example to all our runners.”

To be eligible for this honor, students must be at least a sophomore, have a GPA of 3.5 or higher, and must have participated in at least 50 percent of the competitions.

Thornton has a 3.9 GPA and has been named as one of 12 athletes to the 2016 SSAC All-Academic Team. In addition, he had a season-best time of 26:26 at the NCAA-II Sand Shark Invitational, and he finished in 27th place in the SSAC Championship with a time of 29:59.