Tuesday, June 4, 2013

PORTLAND, Ore. - Katy Gross of Seattle Pacific has earned CoSIDA Academic All-District Track and Field/Cross Country honors for the third year in a row.

She is just the fourth woman in GNAC history to accomplish that feat joining three former SPU athletes - Linda Blake (2004-06), Jessica Pixler (2008-10) and Natty Plunkett (2010-12).

Gross was a second team selection in 2011 and has earned first team honors each of the past two seasons.  Blake and Pixler earned first team honors three times while Plunkett was a first team selection in 2011 and 2012 after earning second team honors in 2010.

Gross is one of nine GNAC athletes named to this year's CoSIDA District Track and Field/Cross Country Academic team.

Joining her on the women's academic team are Ruth Keino of Alaska Anchorage, Amanda Schumaker of Western Oregon and Ali Worthen of Seattle Pacific.  Worthen earned first team honors for the second year in a row.

Named to the men's district academic team were Carraig Colahan of Western Oregon, Alfred Kangogo of Alaska Anchorage, Chris Olsen of Western Oregon and Lewis Polkow and Tyson Vanderby, both from Montana State Billings.  Polkow was a repeat selection from last year.

All of the honorees are now candidates for the CoSIDA Academic All-American team which will be annouced in late June.

Men:  First Team – Carraig Colahan, WOU (Criminal Justice, Jr., 3.94, Burns, OR); Alfred Kangogo, UAA (Nursing, Sr., 3.37, Eldoret, Kenya); Chris Olsen, WOU (Interdisciplinary Studies, Sr., 3.41, Milwaukie, OR); Leiws Polkow, MSUB (History, Jr., 3.88, Billings, MT); Tyson Vanderby, MSUB (HHP-Performance, Sr., 3.33, Manhattan, MT

Women: First Team – Katy Gross, SPU (General Engineering, Sr., 3.92, Everett, WA); Ruth Keino, UAA (Nursing, Sr., Kapcheno, Kenya); Amanda Schumaker, WOU (Pre-Nursing, Sr., 3.40, Gladstone, OR); Ali Worthen, SPU (Exercise Science/Education, Sr., 3.52, Coos Bay, OR).