CANTON, Ga. – A duo of Millsaps men's and women's cross country student-athletes were named to the 2024 Fall Southern Athletic Association All-Sportsmanship Teams. The senior pair of Sarah Strickland and Patch Heard was selected by their coaches and announced the SAA office on Friday.
Formed in 2011, the SAA places a special emphasis on good sportsmanship and fair play amongst all competitors.
Senior Sarah Strickland has now been named twice for this prestigious award in back-to-back seasons.
The 2024 Spring President's List student-athlete has appeared in five meets to date during her senior campaign where she finished 24th in the 2024 SAA Cross Country Championship.
Last season the Spanish Fort, Ala., native was appointed to the 2023 USTFCCCA All-Academic Team and Fall SAA Academic Honor Roll.
Strickland opened the 2024 fall slate placing 25th at the Mississippi College 5k Opener where she finished with a 5K time of 21 minutes, 23.7 seconds.
When on the trails, Strickland can be seen showing support toward others while giving her best each day in practice.
Strickland is currently majoring in Biology with a minor in Business, who plans to obtain an MBA after graduation.
On campus she is a member of Kappa Delta and entered this semester with a 3.18 cumulative GPA.
Classmate Patch Heard representing the Majors on the All-Sportsmanship Team as well, is having a solid performance during the fall campaign.
The Ocean Springs, Miss., product finished in the top 60 at the conference meet with an 8K time of 30:17.4.
On Oct. 18, Heard set a personal record in the Watson Collegiate Classic with a time of 29:58.2.
A key leader of the squad, Heard finished as the fastest Major in three of his meets raced thus far this season.
Heard currently holds a 3.91 cumulative GPA in the classroom and has made Club 40 three times in the previous five semesters with a perfect 4.0 GPA.
Same as Strickland, the intelligent student-athlete became a member of the 2024 President's List.
Heard, who is currently majoring in Mathematics and Biochemistry, was presented with the Price Chemistry Award.
The Majors will return to Clinton, Miss., to compete in the 2024 NCAA Division III Men's and Women's Cross Country South Region Championships on Saturday, beginning at 10 a.m. along the Choctaw Trails.
To keep up to date with everything surrounding the Millsaps men's and women's cross country programs follow the Majors on X and Instagram, like Millsaps Majors Athletics on Facebook or visit gomajors.com.
Founded in Jackson, Mississippi in 1890, Millsaps College is a national liberal arts college dedicated to academic excellence, open inquiry and free expression, the exploration of faith to inform vocation and the innovative shaping of the social, economic and cultural progress of our region. Consistently ranked as one of the best values in higher education, Millsaps has been praised by Colleges That Change Lives, The Princeton Review, Forbes Magazine, U.S. News & World Report, The John Templeton Foundation, and The Fiske Guide to Colleges.
