Seven Raider runners named to Academic All-State Team

The Rice Raiders cross country team had a very strong season with their boys’ team winning the District Championship.

Despite the season being over for a little while now that Raiders are still earning awards and honors for their efforts this season.

The most recent honor came in the form of the Academic All-State team being announced, and the Raiders made a bigtime appearance on that list. Seven of their runners were selected to be a part of the Academic All-District team, so let’s take a look at who earned this honor.

Joe Luke Morales, Victor Flores, Luke Englebrecht, Jael Valles-Serrano, Taylor Eichelberger, Peter James Thompson and Blanca Molina were the seven Raiders selected for the Academic All-State team.

These runners were selected because they were leaders not only on the track but also in the classroom. One of the biggest requirements for being selected for the Academic All-State team is to have a 3.5 GPA.

This is a difficult thing for athletes to maintain sometimes because they have practice early in the morning, then school all day, the potentially a job after school and we know every kid is doing chores around the house. So, it’s a lot on their plate while trying to balance their schoolwork, but the State is kind enough to reward these kids that find a way.

These seven found a way to be major contributors on the track during this cross-country season as well as be a leader in the classroom. As they kept their grades up throughout the entirety of the season, which deserves to be celebrated.