BURLINGTON, Vt. - The University of Vermont women's cross country team was one of 80 teams across the nation to earn 2003 Academic All-American Cross Country "with Distinction" honors from the Women's Intercollegiate Cross Country Coaches Association. The Catamounts posted a 3.51 team GPA this season. All teams that posted a GPA above 3.25 were designated as earning "with Distinction" honors. Vermont was the one of three America East teams (Binghamton and New Hampshire) and held the top team GPA among the conference schools honored. "This is a great honor for our program and the university. I am pleased with the academic success our runners have had over the past few years. We stress the commitment to academics in everything we do in the program. We expect our student-athletes to take advantage of the outstanding educational opportunities at the University of Vermont," stated head coach Matt Belfield. During the fall semester of the 2003-04 academic year, the women's cross country team posted a 3.57 team GPA, ranking first among UVM's 22 varsity sports. Senior Bethany Brodeur (Bennington, Vt.) was one of eight Vermont student-athletes to register a perfect 4.0 for the fall semester and was one of 15 runners to earn a spot on the America East All-Academic Team and Vermont Athletic Council Academic Honor Roll. Classmate Michele Palmer (Plymouth, Mass.) has been named to the Verizon Academic All-District Team for the past two seasons and was a US Cross Country Coaches Association All-Academic selection last year.