NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State was honored by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) for its effort in the classroom, with Curt Jensen, Kristen Zillmer and the women's track and field and cross country team earning Division I All-Academic honors, as announced by the USTFCCCA Thursday.
To qualify for the USTFCCCA All-Academic Track and Field Team, a student-athlete must have compiled a cumulative grade point average of 3.25 and have met either of the following athletic standards: for the indoor season, a student-athlete must have finished the regular season ranked in the national top 96 in an individual event or ranked in the national top 48 in a relay event on the official NCAA POP list provided by TFRRS.org; for the outdoor season, a student-athlete must have participated in any round of the NCAA Division I Championships (including preliminary rounds).
Zillmer finished the season with her second-consecutive trip to Eugene, Oregon, competing in the women's steeplechase. The senior distance runner holds a 3.56 Grade Point Average (GPA) in special education, while Jensen tallied an eighth-place finish at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships to earn All-American honors in the men's shot put. The Colona, Illinois, native holds a 3.49 GPA in construction management.
The Illinois State women's track and field team held a cumulative GPA of 3.20.
In total, the 2013-14 academic year saw the USTFCCCA honor 208 women's teams and 116 men's teams and, individually, 727 women from 193 institutions and 496 men from 165 institutions.
GoRedbirds.com: Your online source for Illinois State Athletics tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
