Valparaiso University men’s cross country sophomore Eric Carothers (Fishers, Ind. / Hamilton Southeastern) received recognition for his success in competition and in the classroom on Wednesday as he was named to the Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete Team.

Carothers, who owns a 3.96 grade point average in meteorology, received the honor based on his qualifying GPA and high finish in the MVC Cross Country Championships on March 3 in Evansville, Ind. He led the Valpo men with a 10^th-place finish in the event, earning First Team All-MVC Honors in the process.

Carothers’ MVC Scholar-Athlete Team recognition comes after he previously earned the prestigious Elite 17 Award, becoming the first Valpo student-athlete in any sport to do so. The Elite 17 honor for men’s cross country goes to the individual with the highest GPA among Top-10 finishers in the conference championships. Carothers completed the 8K in 25:31.4, marking the third straight year Valpo has boasted a first-team all-conference performer.

In addition, this marks Valpo’s fourth MVC Scholar-Athlete Team member in the last three seasons, as Carothers joins Alexander Bruno (2018, 2019) and Jack Mader (2018). The program boasted a dozen all-academic team honorees during its 10-year run in the Horizon League, so Carothers adds to a strong tradition of academic excellence for head coach Mike Straubel’s program.