NEW ORLEANS – The Illinois State men's and women's track and field programs have both earned U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic Team honors, as announced by the organization Thursday. In addition, six Redbird men and four women received individual USTFCCCA All-Academic distinction.
To be named a USTFCCCA All-Academic Team at the Division I level, a program must maintain a cumulative team grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher (on a 4.0 scale). The Illinois State women earned a team GPA of 3.33, while the men earned a team GPA of 3.06.
To receive individual USTFCCCA All-Academic honors, a student-athlete must have compiled a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25 (on a 4.0 scale), completed at least two semesters at the nominating institution, and fulfilled specific athletic criteria for the indoor or outdoor season.
For the indoor season, a student-athlete must have finished the regular season ranked in the national top 96 of an individual event or in the top 48 of a relay event. For the outdoor season, a student-athlete must have participated in any round of the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Illinois State's individual USTFCCCA All-Academic awardees include:
Illinois State Men's USTFCCCA All-Academic Individuals
Jack Anstey               3.71   Physical Education Teacher Education
Logan Calvin             3.74     Exercise Science
Brandon Gage            3.40   Psychology
Andy Hatch                3.27     Exercise Science
Kyle Mattes                3.40     Mathematics
Luke Nelson               3.52     Exercise Science
Illinois State Women's USTFCCCA All-Academic Individuals
Grace Beattie        3.42     Social Work
Julia Bourke         3.68     Nursing
Sydney Laufenberg   3.33     Food & Nutrition Management
Amanda McClain     3.75     Biology
In total, 361 NCAA Division I teams, as well as 874 female and 624 male Division I student-athletes, were honored for their efforts in the classroom.
GoRedbirds.com: Your online source for Illinois State Athletics tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
