Monday, July 22, 2019
NEW ORLEANS – For the second and third time in her distinguished career, Alaska Anchorage’s Caroline Kurgat is being recognized as one of the top scholar-athletes in Division II track and field.
The four-time national champion was named on Monday as the U.S. Track and Field & Cross Country Coaches Association’s (USTFCCCA) Division II Women’s Indoor & Outdoor Track Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
The senior repeated as the Outdoor Track Scholar-Athlete of the Year and earned her first Indoor Track Scholar-Athlete of the Year award. Kurgat is the third GNAC women’s athlete to be named as the organization’s top indoor scholar-athlete (Seattle Pacific’s Jessica Pixler in 2007, 2009 and 2010 and Simon Fraser’s Helen Crofts in 2013) and is the third to earn the outdoor honor (Pixler in 2007 & 2010 and Northwest Nazarene’s Ashley Puga in 2009). Western Washington’s Bethany Drake was named the Division II Outdoor Field Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2014 and 2016.
Kurgat’s awards leads a total of 58 GNAC student-athletes, 22 men and 36 women, to earn Division II All-Academic selection from the USTFCCCA. To qualify for the award, student-athletes must have compiled by a cumulative GPA of 3.25 or better and reached a provisional or automatic qualifying standard for the NCAA Championships during either the indoor or outdoor season.
The honor is yet another in a long list of awards for Kurgat, which includes First Team Google Cloud/CoSIDA Academic All-American, GNAC Female Athlete of the Year, track and field finalist for the Honda Award and USTFCCCA Division II Outdoor Track Female Athlete of the Year.
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 the 1,500, 5,000 and 10,000 meters outdoors. She was named the Women’s Track Athlete of the Meet in both meets.
Concordia led all GNAC teams with 12 All-Academic selection (five men, seven women). Western Washington had 12 selections (three men, nine women) and Seattle Pacific had 10, all women.
Seven of the conference’s 10 programs saw both their men’s and women’s teams named as USTFCCCA All-Academic Teams: Alaska Anchorage, Concordia, Montana State Billings, Seattle Pacific, Simon Fraser, Western Oregon and Western Washington. Teams are recognized for achieving a team cumulative grade point average of 3.00 or better. In all, 209 Division II programs were honored by the USTFCCCA.
USTFCCCA 2019 DIVISION II TRACK & FIELD ALL-ACADEMIC INDIVIDUALS
GNAC HONOREES
MEN
Alaska Anchorage: Drew Johnson, Edwin Kangogo, Felix Kemboi, David Sramek
Concordia: Caleb Bridge, Giovanni Brown, Easton Christensen, Joe Denniston, Brett Elder, Josh Koch, Sam Nichols
Montana State Billings: Isaiah Girard, Brady Ostermiller
Simon Fraser: Aaron Ahl, Rowan Doherty
Western Oregon: Gabe Arce-Torres, Justin Crosswhite, Tyler Jones, Curt Knott
Western Washington: Alex Barry, Costel David, Avery Lux
WOMEN
Alaska Anchorage: Ruth Cvancara, Chrisalyn Johnson, Caroline Kurgat, Danielle McCormick, Marie Ries
Concordia: Macie Allen, Chelsea Bone, Karlie Hurley, Katrina Linenko, Elizabeth Stottlemyre
Saint Martin’s: Liz Larson, Jona Spiller
Seattle Pacific: Grace Bley, Scout Cai, Dania Holmberg, Kate Lilly, Kellie May, Renick Meyer, Kaylee Mitchell, Julia Stepper, Rebecca Troescher, Kelsey Washenberger
Simon Fraser: Sophie Dodd, Lauren Fridman, Alana Mussatto, Paige Nock
Western Oregon: Olivia Woods
Western Washington: Talia Dreicer, Sophia Galvez, Hannah Nienaber, Anna Paradee, Raquel Pellecer, Paige Shimkus, Amanda Short, Maddie Taylor, Natalie Vetto