NEW ORLEANS – The Illinois State men's and women's track & field programs have both earned U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic Team honors, as announced on Thursday. Additionally, six Illinois State women and four men received individual USTFCCCA All-Academic recognition.
For a team to qualify for USTFCCCA All-Academic honors, the cumulative GPA for all student-athletes on the institution's NCAA Squad List for Indoor and/or Outdoor Track and Field must be 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale, including the most recent grading period. The Redbird women maintained a team GPA of 3.41, while the men have a team GPA of 3.28.
Individually, Illinois State had 10 student-athletes (six women, four men) earn USTFCCCA All-Academic honors, which is determined based on both academic and athletic performance. Each student-athlete who earned individual USTFCCCA All-Academic status maintained a cumulative GPA of 3.25 or higher on a 4.0 scale, had completed at least two semesters and finished the 2019-2020 indoor season ranked in the top 96 in a championship individual event or the top 48 of a championship relay event. Illinois State's individual USTFCCCA All-Academic award winners include:
Women's Team
Jordyn Bruce, Actuary Sciences
Ariana Cranston, Molecular Cellular Biology
Rachel Hickey, Marketing and Journalism
Kristin Higgins, Agriculture Sciences (Pre-Vet)
Sydney Laufenberg, Dietetics
Hattie Plumb, Elementary Education
Men's Team
Jack Anstey, Physical Education
Caleb Miedema, Park & Recreation Management
Austin Rauch, Agriculture-Business
Eddie Winner, Undeclared
The Redbirds led the Missouri Valley Conference with 10 of the 24 Valley student-athletes (10 men, 14 women) who earned All-Academic honors. On the women's side 264 teams were recognized for their academic excellence, while on the men's side 199 teams earned the All-Academic distinction. Of those 264 women's teams, eight were MVC programs and of the 199 men's teams, seven were Valley members.
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