Tuesday, May 10, 2016

PORTLAND, Ore. – A trio of brilliant science majors lead a talented list of 64 student-athletes selected to the 2015-16 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Men’s Track and Field All-Academic Team.

Simon Fraser senior Lorenzo Smith leads the list. The Chilliwack, B.C, native has a 4.16 cumulative grade point average as a biomedical physiology major on the Canadian system that awards a 4.33 grade point average for an A-plus. His teammate, sophomore Benjamin Conrad, has a 4.00 grade point average as a computing science major.

South of the 49th parallel, Northwest Nazarene junior Isaac Mitchell has a perfect 4.00 grade point average on the United States system. The native of Sandy, Ore., is majoring in biology with a pre-medicine emphasis.

Both Smith and Mitchell were also among the five GNAC Cross Country All-Academic honorees last season with a 4.00 grade point average of better. The three are among eight student-athletes on the track all-academic squad with grade point averages of 3.80 or better.

Smith tops a list of 30 student-athletes who are repeat selections to the team. He is also one of 12 who received selection for the third consecutive year.

Central Washington placed 11 student-athletes on the Men’s Track and Field All-Academic Team while Northwest Nazarene had 10. Simon Fraser, Western Oregon and Western Washington each landed seven selections.

To earn selection to the GNAC All-Academic Team, a student-athlete must be of sophomore standing or higher, be in their second season competing for their current institution, be a letterwinner and have compiled a cumulative grade point average of 3.20 or better.