GREENSBORO, N.C. (theACC.com) – Notre Dame junior Danny Kilrea and NC State senior Hannah Steelman, who helped their teams to Atlantic Coast Conference championships and second-place NCAA finishes, have been named the ACC Men’s and Women’s Scholar-Athletes of the Year for cross country and lead the sport’s 2020 All-ACC Academic Teams.
This year’s ACC Men’s and Women’s All-ACC Academic Cross Country Teams include a combined 39 All-ACC runners and 13 All-Americans.
Kilrea, a junior from LaGrange, Illinois, placed 10th at this year’s NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships in Stillwater, Oklahoma, leading the Fighting Irish to a second-place team finish. He crossed the line on the 10K course at 30:11.5 to become the best Notre Dame individual finisher since Patrick Smyth placed 10th at the 2008 championships.
Kilrea also finished seventh at the ACC Cross Country Championships with an 8K time of 23:27.4 as Notre Dame placed first as a team last October, and he took ninth place at the Silver State Collegiate Challenge in early February.
After earning both first-team All-ACC and All-America honors, Kilrea was named the USTFCCCA Great Lakes Region Male Athlete of the Year for Cross Country. The All-ACC and All-America accolades are the second for Kilrea, a five-time Dean’s List student who owns a 3.95 career GPA while majoring in finance.
Steelman helped the Wolfpack to the 2020 ACC Women’s Championship with her bronze medal time of 20:17.3 in the 6K finals. The transfer from Wofford opened the season by placing first in the Virginia Tech Invitational with a 6K time of 20:36.2 on a wet, muddy course that neared a course record and was faster than the time posted by 2019 ACC Champion Elly Henes on the same course in similar conditions.
Steelman then led the Wolfpack to a school-record tying second-place showing at the NCAA Championships with a fifth-place individual finish of 20:14.9 on the Stillwater 6K course. Steelman earned NCAA Cross Country All-America honors for the second consecutive season after also doing so while competing for Wofford in 2019.
Named the USTFCCCA Female Southeast Region Athlete of the Year for Cross Country, Steelman earned a combined three Southern Conference Runner of the Year honors in cross country and track while at Wofford prior to being selected ACC Women’s Cross Country Runner of the Year this season. The Orono, Maine, native majors in psychology and owns a 3.74 GPA during her time at NC State.
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 last two semesters.
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.
The ACC Honor Roll, which recognizes all conference student-athletes with a grade point average of 3.0 for the current academic year, will be released in July.
The 2020 All-Atlantic Coast Conference Academic Cross Country teams, including each student-athlete’s major of study, are as follows:
2020 All-ACC Men’s Academic Cross Country Team
John Ward, Clemson, Sr., Landscape Architecture
CJ Ambrosio, Duke, Sr., Economics
Zach Kinne, Duke, So., Mechanical Engineering
Josh Romine, Duke, Sr., Computer Science
Chris Theodore, Duke, Jr., Economics
Caleb Pottorff, Florida State, Jr., Exercise Physiology
Paul Stafford, Florida State, Jr., Sport Management
Andrew Kent, Georgia Tech, Sr., Mechanical Engineering
Will Coogan, North Carolina, Fr., Biology
Kevin Antczak, NC State, Fr., Management
Joe Bistritz, NC State, Sr., English
Hannes Burger, NC State, Jr. Economics
Gavin Gaynor, NC State, Gr., Chemical Engineering
Ian Shanklin, NC State, Sr., Business Administration
Andrew Alexander, Notre Dame, Sr., Neuroscience & Behavior
Dylan Jacobs, Notre Dame, Jr., Business Analytics
Danny Kilrea, Notre Dame, Jr., Finance
Josh Methner, Notre Dame, Fr., Business
Yared Nuguse, Notre Dame, Sr., Biochemistry
Zach Lefever, Pitt, Sr., Architectural Studies
Silas Derfel, Syracuse, Jr., Health & Exercise Science
Joe Dragon, Syracuse, Sr., Political Science/History
Matt Scrape, Syracuse, Jr., Biology
Joe Trojan, Syracuse, Gr., Law
Roshann Asfaw, Virginia, Sr., American Studies
Randy Neish, Virginia, Gr., Educational Psychology
Wes Porter, Virginia, Fr., Undeclared
Harry Monroe, Virginia, Sr., Global Studies
Antonio Lopez Segura, Virginia Tech, So., Computer Science
Carter Coughlin, Wake Forest, Jr., Health & Exercise Science
Zach Facioni, Wake Forest, Jr., Economic
Ben Mitchell, Wake Forest, Jr., Health & Exercise Science
Jack Tiernan, Wake Forest, Sr., Communication
Jonathan Velasco, Wake Forest, So., Health & Exercise Science
2020 All-ACC Women’s Academic Cross Country Team
Lauren White, Boston College, Sr., International Studies
Anna Oeser, Boston College, Jr., English/Political Science
Laurie Barton, Clemson, Sr., Athletic Leadership
Amanda Beach, Duke, Sr., Biology
Sara Platek, Duke, Sr., Public Policy
Michaela Reinhart, Duke, Sr., IDM: Chemistry/Public Policy
Samantha Schadler, Duke, So., Public Policy
Rebecca Clark, Florida State, So., Exercise Physiology
Addi Coggins, Florida State, Jr., Marketing
Elizabeth Funderburk, Florida State, Jr., Marketing
Maudie Skyring, Florida State, Sr., Exercise Physiology
Nicole Fegans, Georgia Tech, Sr., Business Administration
Liz Galarza, Georgia Tech, Sr., Biomedical Engineering
Purity Sanga, Louisville, Sr., Public Health
Kelsey Harrington, North Carolina, Fr., Nutrition
Paige Hofstad, North Carolina, Sr., Peace War & Defense/Public Policy
Sasha Neglia, North Carolina, Fr., Statistics & Analytics
Kelsey Chmiel, NC State, So., Animal Science/Vet Bioscience
Dominque Clairmonte, NC State, Sr., History
Ashley Holt, NC State, Jr., Animal Science
Mariah Howlett, NC State, Sr., Business
Hannah Steelman, NC State, Sr., Psychology
Katelyn Tuohy, NC State, So., Engineering
Erin Archibeck, Notre Dame, Gr., Mechanical Engineering
Maddy Denner, Notre Dame, Jr., Applied & Comp Math and Stats
Olivia Markezich, Notre Dame, So., Marketing
Amanda Vestri, Syracuse, Sr., Health & Exercise Science
Kierra Bothwell, Virginia, Sr., Commerce
Hannah Moran, Virginia, Sr., Kinesiology
Madeline Rehm, Wake Forest, So., Exercise Science
Bold denotes ACC Cross Country Scholar-Athletes of the Year