MERCED, Calif. - Four Bobcats from the University of California, Merced men's cross country and outdoor track team were named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team, as announced on Tuesday.
The four Bobcats honored were Adam Ammar, Kevin Pedroza, Derrick Pickrel, and Noel Simon.
The award recognizes top student-athletes for their combined performances on the course and track, and in the classroom.
Ammar took 10th and 11th in the Cal Pac Championship 100m and 200m dashes. His notable 200m performance of 24.12 stands as the ninth fastest time in program history. Ammar is also a part of the third fastest 4x100 relay team at UC Merced. His squad clocked a 42.47 at Brutus Hamilton Invitational in Berkeley, Calif. Ammar is a biological sciences major.
Pedroza finished ninth at the Cal Pac Cross Country Championships to earn All-Cal Pac Second Team honors in a personal-best time of 27:24.5. On the track, Pedroza was sixth in the 800m and eighth in the 5000m races. He clocked an 800m time of 2:01.65 at West Coast Relays on March 29 which currently stands as the eighth fastest time in program history. Pedroza is an undeclared major.
Simon placed seventh in the 100m and 200m dashes at the Cal Pac Track Championships. He dashed to a time of 23.16 in the 200m, claiming the No. 5 spot in UC Merced history. Also of note, he was a part of the 4X100 relay team that ranked eighth regionally with a program-record time of 42.30. Simon graduated cum laude in May earning his degree in biological sciences.
Pickrel finished third at the Cal Pac Cross Country Championships and scored for the Bobcats at the national meet. During outdoor track season, Pickrel took fifth in the 5000m run in 16:08.24. Early in the season, he crossed the 3000m finish line in 9:11.73 at the Aggie Open which is the fifth fastest 3000m time for UC Merced. Pickrel graduated summa cum laude in May with a bachelor's in physics. He advances to the Academic All-America ballot.
To be eligible for the CSC Academic All-District Team, student-athletes must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher while finishing top-25 in their conference championship.
