Austin Scott
  • mechanical engineering
  • Class of 2018
  • Waddington, N.Y.

Austin Scott of Waddington, N.Y., Earns CoSIDA Academic All-District Accolades

2016 Jun 13

Austin Scott earned CoSIDA Academic All-District Accolades for the sports of cross country and/or track & field.

Junior Austin Scott, senior Liz Pellegrini and sophomore Lea Strangio were named Academic All-District in the sports of cross country and/or track & field by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) from District I comprised of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine and Vermont. They now move on to the national ballot for Academic All-America consideration.

The three selections conclude a successful year for the department a the district level which set a single-year record with 20 nods in 2015-16. The single-year school record for Academic All-America is six which was achieved in 2010. Currently the Engineers are halfway there with baseball (3), at-large (3 women, 2 men) and cross country/track & field (above) results remaining.

Scott, a mechanical engineering major, finished 68th at the NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships in the fall to go along with a 30th-place effort to lead the Crimson and Gray to a program-best 10th-place at the NCAA regional. The repeat All-NEWMAC selection was seventh in 2015 after placing eighth in 2014. This spring saw Scott win the 1,500-meter run at the NEWMAC Track & field Championships. He is a multi-time All-New England and All-ECAC performer, including 2015 ECAC indoor distance medley relay and outdoor 4x800-meter titles. The Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and American Society of Mechanical Engineers member's trophy case is full of USTFCCCA and NEWMAC All-Academic awards.

Pellegrini, a biomedical engineering major and material science minor, is performing in her third NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships this week and has a good chance to secure a 400-meter hurdle All-America nod on Saturday. The local product boasts two 100-meter high hurdle and one 400-meter intermediate hurdle NEWMAC titles. Pellegrini is decorated with double-digit All-New England and All-ECAC selections to go with a number of All-NEICAAA performances. She created an app for the Milan Expo for her IQP and followed it up with studying animal palpitation model of the abdominal at Tufts Veterinary for her MQP. Pellegrini is also a member of Alpha Xi Delta, Tau Beta Pi and Habitat for Humanity.

Strangio, a chemical engineering major, was a member of the NEWMAC champion 4x400 and a runner up in the 800-meter run in 2016. She helped the Engineers finish second at the conference meet the past two years and touts a handful of All-New England and All-ECAC nods. The owner of the indoor 600-meter run, both 800-meter run, as well as part of both 4x400-meter relay records and the outdoor 4x800-meter relay, has placed in the top 40 in both NEWMAC Cross Country Championships appearances. A member of the Dean's List, Strangio performed her humanities and arts component in religion and is involved in Phi Sigma Sigma and American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

About Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Founded in 1865 in Worcester, Mass., WPI is one of the nation's first engineering and technology universities. Its 14 academic departments offer more than 50 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science, engineering, technology, business, the social sciences, and the humanities and arts, leading to bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees. WPI's talented faculty work with students on interdisciplinary research that seeks solutions to important and socially relevant problems in fields as diverse as the life sciences and bioengineering, energy, information security, materials processing, and robotics. Students also have the opportunity to make a difference to communities and organizations around the world through the university's innovative Global Projects Program. There are more than 45 WPI project centers throughout the Americas, Africa, Asia-Pacific, and Europe.