Track And Field Has Three Academic All-Americans

AUSTIN, Texas – Twice is indeed nice for the University of Memphis track and field program, as the Tigers tied academic honors records set in 2018.

At the end of May, the Tigers placed six student-athletes on the Google Cloud/CoSIDA Academic All-District III Team. The six selections – Kristen Adams, Matthew Kamph, Adam Neelly, Olushola Olojo, Ashley Pryke and Paige Sandwell – tied a program record that was set in 2018.

On Thursday, Memphis had three of those six earn Google Cloud/CoSIDA Academic All-America accolades, as Kamph, Olojo and Pryke all were named to the third team. The three academic picks tie a program record that, again, was set in 2018.

"This is a tremendous honor," said head coach Kevin Robinson. "To be an NCAA All-American athletically is the pinnacle in college sports. To be an Academic All-American is the pinnacle of being both a phenomenal student and athlete.

"This is a testament to the discipline these student-athletes have to persevere through trying moments and still manage to be outstanding students and great athletes at the same time. My hat's off to Shola, Ashley and Matt, and what they've accomplished."

The Google Cloud/CoSIDA Academic All-America recognition is Olojo's third-straight honor, Pryke's second-straight and Kamph's first. Including these honorees, Memphis has had seven CoSIDA Academic All-Americans the last three years. Prior to 2017, the program had only two Academic All-Americans.

"I stress academics all the time," Robinson said. "Our program is not just about winning on the track; it's about winning at life. We're recruiting student-athletes who are committed to that mindset. This shows we're bringing in really great kids. When they get to Memphis, they're put in an environment where they have the resources and support to be successful. This is something I talk about with recruits and their parents, and when they see that we've had seven Academic All-Americans the last three years, it proves my point."

For the second year in a row, Memphis led the American Athletic Conference in Google Cloud/CoSIDA Academic All-Americans with three. The Tigers were the only conference program to place student-athletes on the men's team, and Memphis and USF were the only two league schools to have representatives on the women's side.

The Tigers' three selections also led the NCAA Division I schools in the state of Tennessee. Austin Peay and Chattanooga each had one student-athlete on one of the three women's teams.

Kamph graduated from the University of Memphis with a degree in sport and leisure management (3.99 GPA) in May. Kamph, a member of the school's Emerging Leaders program, was awarded the Carson Circle, the University's highest honor for student leadership.

The Ewing, N.J., native was one of the leaders for the men's distance group and cross country team the last two years. From 2017-19, he posted four personal-bests and scored points for the Tigers in the 3000 and 5000 meters at the 2019 American Athletic Conference Indoor Championships. In 2018, Kamph ran a leg on the school record-setting distance medley relay.

As a member of the cross country squad, Kamph posted eight top-30 performances, including a runner-up finish at the 2018 Brooks Twilight Classic.

A Dean's List student all eight semesters, Kamph volunteered in the Memphis Athletics Communications Office the last two years. He has been accepted into Clemson University's Athletic Leadership master's program and will serve as a graduate assistant in the Tigers Athletics Communications Office, where he will publicize the men's soccer and men's/women's track and field/cross country programs.

Olojo is the first Memphis track and field student-athlete to be named Google Cloud/CoSIDA Academic All-America three times. Of the 45 student-athletes named to this year's three Academic All-America men's teams, Olojo was one of only two making a third-straight appearance.

The London, England, native graduated with a degree in business economics (3.97 GPA) from the University of Memphis.Olojo joined the Memphis program prior to the 2015-16 campaign after transferring from Kent State.

In his three seasons, Olojo recorded 16 top-three performances in the jumps (indoor/outdoor combined), including five titles. Among those top-three finishes were four at the American Athletic Conference Indoor Championships, where he won gold in the triple jump in 2017, silvers in the long and triple jumps in 2016, and bronze in the triple jump in 2019. Olojo capped his Tigers career with a second NCAA East Preliminaries appearance in late May. He competed in the long jump.

A Dean's List student, Olojo earned U.S. Track and Field/Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic honors the past two seasons.

A Peterborough, Ontario native, Pryke competed in her third-consecutive NCAA Championships earlier in June and is preparing to represent Canada at the 2019 World University Games in July. The Games are being held in Italy.

Pryke, who holds the program record in the women's javelin (188-6; 57.47m), is a three-time track and field All-American, taking home first team honors in 2017 and 2018 and second team accolades in 2019. She earned her way to the podium at the 2017 NCAA Championships with a bronze-medal performance in the women's javelin.

The recent University of Memphis graduate collected 19 javelin titles in her four-year career, including three American Athletic Conference crowns (2017, 2018, 2019). Pryke is the first athlete – male or female – in conference history to win three-consecutive titles in an outdoor throws event. She is a three-time conference all-academic honoree and was a Dean's List student all eight semesters. Pryke graduated with a degree in exercise, sport and movement science (3.88 GPA) in May.

University of Memphis Athletics

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Players Mentioned

Kristen Adams

Matthew Kamph

Adam Neelly

Olushola Olojo

Ashley Pryke

Paige Sandwell

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