A-Sun Men's Academic All-Conference Release
A-Sun Women's Academic All-Conference Release

MACON, Ga. – Junior Gilbert Kemboi (Eldoret, Kenya) of the USC Upstate track & field team was named the 2012 Atlantic Sun Conference Men's Indoor Track Scholar Athlete of the Year, while sophomore Ross Oden (Salisbury, N.C.), senior Carolyne Chelulei (Eldoret, Kenya) and senior Jemeli Sang (Eldoret, Kenya) earned Academic All-Conference honors as announced by the conference office today.

Kemboi was also named the 2012 A-Sun Indoor Track Athlete of the Year after winning conference titles in both the 5,000-meter and 3,000-meter events. He broke his own A-Sun Indoor meet record in the 5,000-meter with a time of 14:41.56. Kemboi boasts a 3.457 GPA as a sociology major. He set a school record in the 3,000-meter at the Tiger Paw Invitational Feb. 12 with a time of 8:20.36. Kemboi posted another program-best time in the men's 5,000-meter at the Niswonger Invite Jan. 28 with a time of 14:23.19.

Oden was an Academic All-A-Sun Team selection for the Spartan men, earning a 3.446 GPA, while majoring in chemistry. He posted a time of 15:48.07 in the men's 5,000-meter at the A-Sun Indoor Championships Feb. 18.

For the Upstate women, Chelulei picked up Academic All-Conference accolades after claiming third-place finishes at the A-Sun Indoor Championships Feb. 17-18 in the women's 3,000-meter and 5,000-meter events with times of 9:55.73 and 17:26.74, respectively. She set a school record in the 1,000-meter with a first-place time of 3:02.28 at Clemson Dec. 3. The senior was part of the four-member relay team that set a school record in the women's distance medley relay with a time of 12:08.59 Feb. 12 at the Tiger Paw Invite. Chelulei carries a 3.593 GPA as a non-profit administration major.

Sang rounded out the Academic All-A-Sun honors for the Upstate, taking a spot on the women's team. She earned two second-place finishes at the A-Sun Indoor Championships Feb. 17-18 in the women's 3,000-meter and 5,000-meter events with times of 9:54.12 and 17:19.19, respectively. The senior set a school record in the 3,000-meter at the Niswonger Invitational Jan. 28, crossing the line with a first-place time of 9:51.61. She was part of the four-member relay team that set a school record in the women's distance medley relay with a time of 12:08.59 Feb. 12 at the Tiger Paw Invite. Sang boasts a 3.477 GPA, while studying in nursing.

The A-Sun introduced the new sport-by-sport Academic All-Conference teams this fall to recognize student-athletes who embody the conference's mission of Building Winners for Life. All the members of the team boast a 3.30 cumulative grade point average (GPA) or better and participated in at least half of their team's games.

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