Tuesday, May 28, 2019

PORTLAND, Ore. – Two of the top middle and long distance standouts in Division II headline five GNAC honorees named to the Google Cloud/CoSIDA Division II Academic All-District 8 Women’s Track and Field/Cross Country Team.

Alaska Anchorage senior Caroline Kurgat, a four-time national champion this year, and Seawolves’ senior Danielle McCormick lead the five selections, which account for half of the district team comprised of student-athletes from the GNAC, CCAA and PacWest conferences. The duo is joined by Concordia senior Chelsea Bone, Seattle Pacific junior Kate Lilly and Western Oregon senior Olivia Woods.

With selection to the All-District Team, the five are now eligible for selection to the Google Cloud/CoSIDA Academic All-America Team, which will be announced on Wed., June 26.

Kurgat, who has a 3.47 GPA as a nursing science major, was a First Team Academic All-American in 2018. The senior repeated as national champion indoors in the 3,000 meters and 5,000 meters and outdoors in the 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters. Kurgat ran a Division II all-time best indoors in both the 3,000 (9:07.05) and the 5,000 (15:28.46) and ran a Division II record outdoors in the 10,000 meters (32:08.09). Kurgat was the GNAC champion in the 3,000 and 5,000 meters indoors and in the 1,500, 5,000 and 10,000 meters outdoors. She was named the Women’s Track Athlete of the Meet in both meets.

McCormick, who has a 3.63 GPA as a natural sciences major, was an All-American both indoors and outdoors in the 800 meters. The GNAC runner-up in the event indoors, McCormick placed third at the Division II Indoor Championships in 2:06.08 to earn All-American honors. McCormick claimed her second consecutive conference 800-meter title outdoors and went on to place fourth at the Division II Outdoor Championships in 2:09.41. Her season-best of 2:05.00 is No. 5 on the GNAC All-Time List.

McCormick also helped the Seawolves win the GNAC cross country title, earning All-GNAC honors with a 10th place time of 21:58.1. She also earned all-region honors with an 11th place time of 21:35.7 at the NCAA West Region Championships before placing 45th at the Division II Cross Country Championships.

Both Kurgat and McCormick ran legs on Alaska Anchorage’s national runner-up distance medley relay team at the Division II Indoor Championships.

Bone, who has a 3.95 GPA as a business major, took third in the GNAC indoors in the pentathlon (3,607 points) and outdoors in the heptathlon (4,982 points). She closed the indoor season at the Division II Indoor Championships, placing 11th in the pentathlon with a season-best score of 3,624 points that ranks No. 6 on the GNAC All-Time List. Bone’s season-best of 5,009 points in the outdoor heptathlon is No. 9 on the GNAC All-Time List.

Lilly, who has a 3.84 GPA as a mathematics major, played a critical role in the Falcons’ success in cross country, indoor track and outdoor track. She opened the season by earning cross country all-region honors at the NCAA West Region Championships, placing 10th in 21:34.2. Lilly placed second in the mile (4:57.85) and fourth in the 3,000 meters (10:11.12) at the GNAC Indoor Championships before going on to placed 12th in the mile at the Division II Indoor Championships. Outdoors, Lilly placed second in the 1,500 meters (4:27.13) and fourth in the 5,000 meters (17:14.21) at the GNAC Championships. She earned All-American honors with a fifth-place finish in the 5,000 meters at the Division II Outdoor Championships and placed 15th in the 1,500 meters.

Woods, who has a 3.85 GPA as a psychology major, was the runner-up in the 800 meters at the GNAC Indoor Championships in 2:10.13 and went on to place fifth at the Division II Indoor Championships in 2:08.44. Woods placed fifth in the event at the GNAC Outdoor Championships in 2:12.62 and went on to place 12th at the Division II Outdoor Championships in 2:14.36.

Nominated by and voted upon by members of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), the Google Cloud Academic All-District and All-America programs recognize student-athletes who demonstrate excellence both on the field and in the classroom. Nominees must be of sophomore standing or higher, be a starter or important reserve on their team and carry a cumulative grade point average of 3.30 or greater.