The Providence boys cross country team has been honored as a CIF State Academic Champion.
The Patriots, who were the Southern Section award winners for small schools, achieved a grade point average of 3.98, the highest of any boys cross country team in the state.
Due to the impact of COVID-19 during the spring, only fall and winter sports were recognized. CIF State Academic Team Champions will receive a banner, suitable for display in their school gym, to recognize this accomplishment. All nominees were their respective CIF Section Academic Team Champions. Section offices forwarded their winners in all sports to the state office for consideration.
This is the second time a Providence athletic program has won a CIF State Academic Championship. The 2016-17 boys basketball team was the school’s first.
“Hard work is responsible for success both athletically and academically,” said Steve Stokes, the school’s athletic director. “The boys’ success in the classroom is something they should be so proud of. We are so grateful that our boys cross country program and head coach, Evan Covell, stress the value of being a true student-athlete and not an athlete-student.”
The CIF State Academic Team Champions program was initiated in 1996 to reward teams with the highest collective grade-point-averages, based on an unweighted 4.0 scale, in their respective sport.
— Noozhawk sports editor Barry Punzal can be reached at bpunzal@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk Sports on Twitter: @NoozhawkSports. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.