COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.— Colorado Mesa University cross country standouts Chase Brown and Kevin DeGree were both repeat selections to the First Team Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference All-Academic squad, which was announced on Thursday afternoon.

DeGree is the first ever Maverick cross country runner to ever earn the honor in three straight years while Brown is one of just five Maverick men to ever achieve the honor twice.

The Maverick men have now had two first team selections in each of the last five years and helped set a new overall CMU program record with four total selections as the CMU women had two picks for the first time in Autumn McQuitty and Brooke Miller.  That announcement was made earlier on Thursday afternoon.

Additionally, the Maverick men had ten total selections to the RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll.  Jackson Baker, Triston Charles, Peter Leary, Gustavo Rivera, Jack Singleton, Simon Straub, Kyle Towne and Winter Whittle joined Brown and DeGree on that list.

Notably, Charles has earned RMAC All-Academic honors in each of the past four years and was named to the first team in 2021 and 2022.  Baker, Leary and Towne were all repeat selections from 2023 as well.

To qualify for the honor roll, student-athletes must have a 3.30 or higher cumulative grade-point average, have competed two consecutive semesters at their current institution, and have used a season of competition.

To be nominated for the First Team Academic All-RMAC squad, athletes must have a 3.50 or higher GPA and meet the other requirements.  The league's athletic communications directors for that sport then vote to compose the 14-member First Team Academic All-RMAC and select the Academic Runner of the Year. They are not permitted to vote for their own student-athletes.

Brown, a redshirt sophomore civil engineering major holds a perfect 4.00 GPA.  The Otsego, Michigan native ran in all five of the Mavs' meets this season, leading the team at the NCAA Division II South Central Regional, where he placed 53^rd overall in a 10-kilometer time of 33:23.8.  He was also the team's third finisher at the RMAC Championships, placing 56^th with a season-best 8K time of 26:04.9.

DeGree, a redshirt junior, holds a 3.91 GPA and is majoring in mechanical engineering technology. 

The Big Bear Lake, California native also ran in all five of the Mavs' meets this season, leading the team at the first two while being amongst the scoring five in all five.  He placed a career-best ninth at the Mountaineer/Cowboy Open to open the season before taking 33^rd at the Roadrunners Invitational with a season-best 8K time of 25:54.0.

He was later the team's second man at the RMAC Championships, placing 52^nd overall before finishing 87^th as the team's No. 5 runner at the regional championships.

DeGree also has four career RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll recognitions to his credit for track and field and was named to the 2023-24 College Sports Communicators Academic All-District squad after the 2004 outdoor season.

CMU's All-Time RMAC All-Academic First Team Selections
2014    Richard Seward
2017    Blake Graf
2017    Luke Spitz
2018    Luke Spitz
2019    Trevor Smith
2020    Ian Cropp
2020    Tony Torres
2021    Triston Charles
2021    Tony Torres
2022    Triston Charles
2022    Kevin DeGree
2023    Chase Brown
2023    Kevin DeGree
2024    Chase Brown
2024    Kevin DeGree