Hazen Cross Country Girls Named Academic State Champions

Hazen High School’s varsity girls cross-country team has been named Academic State Champions for maintaining a near-perfect combined grade-point average of 3.958 through the fall sports season.

The academic award—sponsored by the Washington Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA, the state’s high school athletic office), the Dairy Farmers of Washington and Les Schwab Tires—recognizes the team with the highest GPA among all Washington high schools in their enrollment classification.

The team says they didn't collaborate to maintain the high GPA to win the award; in fact, they say, they were unaware of the award until hearing about it from their coach Sarah Menaul. Instead, they say, each individual student athlete is instinctively dedicated to doing their best in sports while also being committed to excellence in the classroom.
 
“We try our best to excel in class, in sports, and in all aspects of our lives," says Vicki Tang, Captain, Hazen girls cross-country team.

The award was presented to the team at last weekend’s cross country state championships in Pasco, Wash.

Many other Hazen student athletes were also recently recognized for hard work in the classroom as well as on the playing field. Fourteen of Hazen’s 16 fall sports teams were recognized by the WIAA as top teams in the state to excel in sports while also maintaining high GPAs.

* Editor's Note: Information for this story was provided by the Renton School District.