[From News Services] NEW ORLEANS – St. Olaf junior Paul Escher, Colt Feltes of Wartburg and Travon Godette of Westfield State have been named the male Scholar Athletes of the Year in NCAA Division III for the 2014-15 track & field season by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA), the association announced late last week.

Scholar Athletes of the Year were selected as the highest-finishing performers at the NCAA Indoor & Outdoor Championships who also achieved USTFCCCA All-Academic Individual status. Those who earned multiple individual championship titles ranked higher in the tie-breaking process, and cumulative GPA is weighed as the final tiebreaker to establish a winner.

Escher, a junior religion major with a cumulative GPA of 3.96, swept both the indoor and outdoor track honors for his first career Scholar Athlete awards. The La Crosse, Wis., native is the first man since Tim Nelson of UW-Stout in 2012 to win both the indoor and outdoor track honors.

Indoors he won the national mile title by nearly two seconds in a career-best 4:10.19, and he doubled back outdoors to take the 1500 meters crown in 3:49.64 to win by more than a second over Charlie Marquardt of Haverford.

Escher helped the Oles to a runner up finish at the NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships, a fourth place finish at the Indoor Track and Field Championships and a fifth place team mark at the Outdoor Championships. 

He is the first man from St. Olaf to win track & field Scholar Athlete of the Year honors.

USTFCCCA Release