ECU Athletics
Teri LaJeunese, Sports Information Director
ADA, OKLA. – East Central University men’s cross country and track and field senior, Larry Filer has added one more honor to his resume, earning 2018-19 Google Cloud (CoSIDA) Men’s Cross Country and Track and Field Academic All-America First Team honors.
The recent graduate, with a bachelor’s degree in biology, had a perfect 4.00 GPA during his academic career.
The 2017-18 Google Cloud Academic All-America Second Team honoree was a standout for the men’s cross country and track and field teams and in the classroom for the last four seasons. In 2018-19 school year he helped the cross country team to their sixth title by earning All-Great American Conference First Team and GAC Runner of the Year honors.
The Wichita Falls, Texas, native had a strong track and field season, claiming titles in the 5,000 meters and 3,000-meter steeplechase at the 2019 GAC Championships. He also claimed second in the 1,500 meters for three All-GAC honors. For both cross country and track & field, he was also named a GAC Elite Scholar Athlete, with the best GPA for those participating in the championship.
The two-time ECU Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year, was just one of two student-athletes from the GAC to earn Google Cloud Academic All-America honors, with a third-team selection from Harding.
The Google Cloud Academic All-America program, selected by members of CoSIDA, recognizes the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined academic and athletic accomplishments.
Filer becomes the third student-athlete at ECU to earn All-America honors for two-straight seasons, after his second team honor in 2017-18. He joins softball’s Mariah Ewy (2019 Second/2018 Third) and Autumn Suydam (2016 First/2015 Second) as two-time winners.
He is also the 10th student-athlete from the Tigers to claim Academic All-America honors, joining softball’s Emily Kennemer (2012 First), Ewy and Suydam; soccer’s Deanna Rudasill (2016 Third), football’s Courtney Karner (2003 Second), women’s golf Ashley Cardwell (At-Large 2013 Second) and baseball’s Nick Spini (2015 Second).