Newport News, Va. – (March 21, 2019) – The Atlantic 10 Conference announced its Academic All-Conference teams for indoor track & field this week.   Among those honored included juniors Ryan Kutch (Holtsville, N.Y./St. Anthony's) and Andrew Byrne (Milton, Mass./Boston College HS).
 
For Kutch, this is the second time that he has been named to the indoor track & field Academic All-Conference team, and fourth overall (cross country – once, outdoor track & field – once), while being a first time appearance for Byrne.
 
The Academic All-Conference teams are comprised of student-athletes who were selected based on their athletic and academic performance. To be nominated, student-athletes must have a GPA of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) for their entire academic career. The teams were selected through voting conducted by the league's Sports Information Directors.
 
Kutch, who holds a 3.34 GPA and is majoring in Finance with a concentration in Business Economics, was a dual event champion at the 2019 Atlantic 10 Championship in the 3,000 and 5,000 meter events.  He was only the second men's performer to win multiple events at the Atlantic 10 Championship, joining Barry Cantrell in 1996.  He was also the Metropolitan Champion in the 5,000 meter run, while earning All-East honors at the IC4A Championship by finishing fourth in the 5,000 meters.
 
Byrne, who holds a 3.79 GPA and is majoring in American Studies, had a breakout season as a multi-event performer for the Rams.  He earned bronze in the heptathlon at the 2019 Atlantic Championship, scoring a personal-best 4,821 points.  He was also the Metropolitan champion in the heptathlon this season.