AUSTIN, Texas (June 25, 2020) – Wyoming distance runner Christopher Henry has been named a track & field/cross country first-team academic All-American, it was announced Thursday by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Henry, a native of Laramie, Wyo., owns a 4.0 GPA while double-majoring in molecular biology and physiology.

Overall, it is the third academic All-America honor for Henry in a row, as he was named to the first-team last year and the third-team in 2018. Among this year’s 15 honorees on the men’s first team, Henry is one of just two to earn three career academic All-America honors. Additionally, among the 93 men and women student-athletes that are part of the first-, second- or third-teams, Henry is one of just five to earn three career academic All-America honors.

Henry is also just the second student-athlete at the University of Wyoming to earn three academic All-America honors, joining former Cowboy football player Pat Arndt, who earned the accolades in 1985-87.

This season, Henry represented the Cowboys at the NCAA Cross Country National Championships, where he placed 136^thoverall. At that meet, Henry earned his second-consecutive NCAA Elite 90 Award, for having the highest GPA and most completed credit hours at an NCAA Championship event. During the cross country season, Henry was Wyoming’s top finisher at the NCAA Mountain Region Championships, earning all-region honors. He also earned all-Mountain West honors following a ninth-place finish at the conference meet.

During the track & field season, Henry picked up all-conference honors in the 3,000m for the second-straight season, as he finished third in 8:10.49. He also posted the fifth-best 5,000m time in program history at the conference championships when he crossed the finish line in 14:15.75.

Of the 46 members of the academic All-America men’s track & field/cross country team, there are 11 student-athletes, including Henry, who boast a perfect 4.0 GPA, and the 15 members of the first-team have an average GPA of 3.84.

The Academic All-America program recognizes student-athletes for their outstanding combination of academic and athletic success. Nominees must be sophomores or above with a GPA of 3.3 or higher. The teams are voted on by sports information directors around the nation.