NEW ORLEANS—Four members of the men's cross country team were named to the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic Team in an announcement made by the organization last week.  Redshirt freshman Haftu Strintzos (Victoria, Australia), graduate student Nathan Rodriguez (Tempe, Ariz.), senior Andrew Marston (Wayne, Pa.) and senior Casey Comber (Maple Glen, Pa.) each earned the distinction for their success in competition during cross country season in addition to their academic achievement.
 
Student-athletes are named to the USTFCCCA All-Academic Team for cross country by maintaining at least a 3.25 cumulative GPA and earning either all-region and/or All-America honors.  The four selections for Villanova are the most that men's cross country has had in a single season, while this is the fourth straight year that the Wildcats have had multiple all-academic team selections.  Comber and Marston are each four-time All-Academic Team honorees in cross country, while Rodriguez and Strintzos earned the honor for the first time in their careers. 
 
Strintzos made his collegiate debut for Villanova in the fall and was a first team All-BIG EAST performer in addition to earning all-region accolades.  He led the Wildcats with a fourth place overall finish at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional, where Villanova clinched an automatic berth to the NCAA Championships.  Strintzos also came in eighth overall at the BIG EAST Championships and was the Wildcats third runner across the finish line at the national meet.  He is majoring in Electrical Engineering and was named to the Athletic Director's Honor Roll for the fall semester.
 
Rodriguez emerged as a key contributor for Villanova during the fall after missing the 2018 season with an injury.  The graduate transfer from Iowa State made his Wildcats debut last spring during the outdoor track & field season.  He was one the team's top three finishers in each of his first four starts in cross country, including leading the Wildcats with a runner-up individual finish at the BIG EAST Championships.  His seventh place finish at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional meet was a career-best, and Rodriguez earned both first team All-BIG EAST and Mid-Atlantic All-Region recognition.  In his first year at Villanova in 2018-19, Rodriguez was named to the Athletic Director's Honor Roll both semesters and was a member of the BIG EAST All-Academic Team.
 
Marston and Comber each earned first team All-BIG EAST as well as Mid-Atlantic All-Region honors for the fourth straight year.  They are the ninth and 10^th members of the men's cross country program to be four-time all-region selections.  Marston came in third at the BIG EAST Championships and 10^th at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional, with the latter being his fourth straight season posting a top-10 individual finish at the meet.  He was also the Wildcats top finisher at both the Bill Dellinger Invitational in Oregon and at the NCAA Championships.  Comber competed four times during the fall and counted a sixth place finish at the BIG EAST Championships and a 13^th place finish at the NCAA regional meet among his results. 
 
In addition to being the backbone of the men's cross country team during their four years of competition, Marston and Comber have each been top student-athletes in the classroom.  Comber is a six-time honoree on USTFCCCA All-Academic Teams, including four times in cross country and twice on the track.  He is also a four-time member of the BIG EAST All-Academic Team and has twice been named to Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Area Teams a total of three times (twice in cross country, once in track).  Comber was chosen as the Villanova Senior Student-Athlete of the Year for the 2018-19 academic year and has been named to the Athletic Director's Honor Roll in all seven semesters since the honor was created.  He graduated from Villanova last spring with a double major in Marketing and Business Analytics.  Comber is currently enrolled in his first year of graduate school and is pursuing a Master of Science in Business Analytics.
 
Marston is also a six-time member of USTFCCCA All-Academic Teams and a four-time selection to the BIG EAST All-Academic Team.  He earned Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Area honors on the track last year and has been a seven-time selection to the Athletic Director's Honor Roll.  Marston graduated from the Villanova School of Business last spring as a double major in Marketing and Management.  He is enrolled in graduate school and pursuing a Certificate in Public Administration.
 
Villanova earned a team academic award from the USTFCCCA for having a team GPA above a 3.0 for the fall semester.  With a veteran and experienced roster, the Wildcats won the team titles at both the BIG EAST Championships and the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional to earn a team berth to the NCAA Championships.  The conference and regional titles were the team's first since 2014.