GRINNELL COLLEGE FOOTBALL: More Academic Honors

Monday, August 3, 2015

More Academic Honors

Eloise Miller at the Outdoor Conference Championship

As we're gearing up for the 2015 school year and seasons, the academic awards of Grinnell's athletics teams keep rolling in. The latest belong to the men's and women's track and field teams, as both teams were once again recognized as team Academic All-American.

The US Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association annually awards team Academic All-American recognition to teams whose cumulative GPA is over 3.1. This past season the Pioneers men's team came in with a 3.38 team GPA, and the women with a 3.61. Both the men and the women have earned this recognition every year it's been offered by the USTFCCCA.

In addition to the team awards, standout sprinter and jumper Eloise Miller also earned the recognition. This was the second year in a row Miller has been recognized. For individuals, the cutoff is a 3.30 cumulative GPA and a top 25 ranking in an individual event. Miller finished the year ranked in the top 25 in the triple jump as both a junior and as a senior. As an added bonus for the track and field teams, Eloise will be joining the staff for the upcoming Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field seasons.

Congrats to Eloise and to the Pioneers!

The Honor G

The Honor G, the official emblem of Grinnell College athletics, was first used at the Iowa state track championship in 1892. Designed by Earnest "Skip" Atherton, class of 1895, the original Honor G consisted of a scarlet maltese cross with a black "I and "C" (for Iowa College) superimposed on the cross. Two years later in 1894, the "I" and "C" were replaced by a black gothic "G", and the modern day Honor G was born. The gothic "G", which was also used on letter sweaters and is now used on letter jackets, was replaced by an Old English "G" in the mid-1930's. After some protest, it was quickly changed back to the gothic "G", and it has remained unchanged since that time.