Men's USTFCCCA All-Academic Team | Women's USTFCCCA All-Academic Team

NEW ORLEANS - The George Washington men's and women's cross country teams were both honored as United States Track and Field & Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic Teams, the organization announced earlier this week.

To qualify as a USTFCCCA All-Academic Cross Country Team, teams must have a cumulative team GPA of 3.00 or better and have started at least five runners at their respective NCAA regional championship.

A total of 145 institutions representing 30 conferences compose the men's All-Academic teams while 200 teams from 30 conferences represent the women's teams.

The men's team finished with a cumulative team grade-point average of 3.1 while the women's team posted a 3.46 GPA, which ranks fourth among Atlantic 10 programs honored.

George Washington women's rowing senior Lauren Byrne was named the Community Service Athlete of the Month for February.

The Community Service Athlete of the Month distinction is awarded to a student-athlete who leads by example and who most impacts the GW and Washington community through service.

Lauren has served as a leader of the Grassroots Colonials Program, which teaches at risk middle school students about HIV and AIDS awareness. The Angola, N.Y., native is responsible for organizing training sessions while serving as the evaluation coordinator for multiple middle schools across the D.C. community that participate in the program."

Lauren, in her leadership role, has seen Grassroots participation skyrocket," said Life Skills Coordinator Ted Costigan. "As her team's community service SAAC representative, her nearly 100 hours of community service have set the example for the women's rowing team this year."

Atlantic 10 Lacrosse Preseason Poll | 2013 Schedule | @GWLacrosse

After reaching the conference championship in 2012 for the first time in three seasons, the George Washington lacrosse team was predicted to finish fifth in the Atlantic 10 preseason poll as voted on by the league's eight head coaches on Friday.

Four-time reigning conference champion No. 14 Massachusetts - which GW fell to in last year's semifinal round - was selected to repeat as champion in the annual poll. Richmond, the 2012 championship runner-up, was predicted to finish second, followed by Duquesne in third. Temple was chosen fourth, followed by the Colonials in fifth. Rounding out the poll were La Salle in sixth, Saint Joseph's in seventh and St. Bonaventure in eighth.

Under the direction of sixth-year head coach Tara Hannaford, GW returns 15 players from the 2012 squad that produced a 10-7 overall record - marking the most wins in a season since 2007 - and a 4-3 record in the Atlantic 10. The Colonials also welcome eight newcomers to the squad as they look to return to the A-10 Championship.

Entering its 11^th year of competition, GW has made an appearance in the league championship in 2005, 2007, 2009 and 2012. The 15^th annual Atlantic 10 Championship will be held from April 26-28 in Amherst, Mass., at the Minutewomen's Warren P. McGurik Alumni Stadium. The A-10 championship is a single-elimination, four-team event, with the first-round winners advancing to the championship game. The winner of the Championship will receive the league's automatic bid to compete in the NCAA Tournament.

The Buff and Blue open their 2013 campaign at cross-town foe Howard on Wednesday, Feb. 13 at 6 p.m.

2013 Atlantic 10 Lacrosse Predicted Order of Finish

Team                                     2012 Record (A-10)
1. Massachusetts                    19-2 (7-0)
2. Richmond                            10-8 (5-2)
3. Duquesne                            12-6 (5-2)
4. Temple                                 9-8 (3-4)
5. George Washington           10-7 (4-3)
6. La Salle                              10-6 (3-4)
7. Saint Joseph's                      5-11 (1-6)
8. St. Bonaventure                    3-9 (0-7)

George Washington softball junior Chelsea Lenhart attended the Elect Her - Campus Women Win workshop, sponsored by the American Association of University Women, on Sunday, Feb. 3, at GW's Marvin Center.  The event included speakers from within GW as well as beyond campus borders, including GW Communication Specialist and Vice President for External Relations Lorraine Voles and Virginia senator Barbara Favola. 

Elect Her encourages college women to become involved in student government and other positions of leadership on campus in hopes of raising the presence of women in political office and other areas of public service in the coming years.  The George Washington University hosted the event as one of the first sites of Elect Her's 2013 campaign. Universities across the country will house similar events throughout the year.  

Lenhart's involvement in campus organizations and demonstration of leadership earned her a nomination to attend Sunday's workshop.  In addition to being a student-athlete, the junior outfielder is member of the Association of Queer Women and Allies (AQWA) and GW's House Staff for one of the junior-senior dormitories on campus.  The international affairs major is also a member of Phi Sigma Pi, an honors fraternity, and one of the leading student-athletes in community service hours, earning Community Service Student-Athlete of the Month for December.  Lenhart's potential interest in running for Student Association in the future prompted a House Staff supervisor, through the Center for Student Engagement, to nominate the 2011 Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team member for the workshop.  

Through Elect Her, Lenhart learned of the under-representation of women in United States politics. 

"If you look at the United States compared to other countries, we are behind a startling number of nations around the world when it comes to female representation in government," Lenhart reflected. "The idea of this conference was first to break the biases that surround women running for political office."

The event emphasized the need to begin running for elected positions at a young age, especially while in college. 

"We went through what a campaign looks like, both for student government and normal political office," said Lenhart.  "We also discussed other aspects of leadership and the other opportunities for women to lead, but the main focus was the public sector and elected positions."

About 25 other female students participated in the workshop.

"The great thing about this event was that it was hosted right here at GW," said Lenhart. "Being so close to the center of our government, this event really held significance.  We are really lucky to be able to have a campaign like Elect Her come visit our campus."

George Washington men's tennis junior Ulrik Thomsen was named Community Service Athlete of the Month for January on Friday.

The Community Service Athlete of the Month award, a distinction which started this academic year, goes to the student-athlete who leads by example and who most impacts the GW and Washington community through service.

"Ulrick's positive attitude and motivational leadership are palpable as he helps members of our D.C. Community in need," Life Skills Coordinator Ted Costigan said.

This past fall Ulrik served as a volunteer at the AIDS Walk where he helped raise funds and awareness for Whitman-Walker Health, a non-profit community-based health organization that provides comprehensive and accessible health care for those infected with or affected by HIV and AIDS.

In addition to his work with the AIDS Walk, Ulrik is also active in community service projects with his fraternity Phi Kappa Psi. In line with the GW Department of Athletics and Recreation's mission to show military appreciation, Ulrik helped organize a fundraising event for Tragedy Assistant Program for Survivors (TAPS), which provides services to those who have lost a loved one on active duty with the United States Armed Forces.