Tuesday, May 17, 2022

PORTLAND, Ore. – Making the most of an extra year on the track and in the classroom, four-time honorees Arielle Himelbloom of Alaska Anchorage, Emily Chilton of Simon Fraser and Amanda Short of Western Washington lead a total of 120 selections to the 2021-22 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Women’s Track and Field All-Academic Team, presented by Barnes & Noble College.

The three seniors were among 54 repeat honorees on the team. In addition to the duo’s four-time selections, there were a total of 19 student-athletes making the team for the third time.

Himelbloom, who has a 3.33 GPA as a health sciences major, raced at the GNAC Outdoor Championships in the distances, placing 11th in the 10,000 meters and 13th in the 5,000 meters. During the indoor season, she placed eighth at the GNAC Championships in the 5,000 meters and 14th in the 3,000 meters.

Chilton, who has a 3.91 GPA as a biomedical physiology major, placed eighth for SFU at the GNAC Outdoor Championships in both the 800 meters and 1,500 meters. During the indoor season, Chilton placed sixth at the GNAC Championships in the mile and ran the third leg on SFU’s winning distance medley relay team.

Short, who has a 4.00 GPA as a master's student in kinesiology, finished second in the javelin at the GNAC Outdoor Championships. She earned her first All-Academic award during the 2016-17 academic year.

Chilton was among 23 student-athletes named to the All-Academic Team with a 3.9 GPA or higher.

Seven student-athletes made the team with a 4.0 GPA. Joining Short at 4.0 are Central Washington senior Audrey Moore, Montana State Billings sophomore Brynn Jolma, Northwest Nazarene sophomore Jordan Woods, Seattle Pacific sophomore Annika Esvelt, Western Oregon junior Luz Garcia and freshman Kaitlyn Kruse.

To qualify for the GNAC All-Academic Teams, presented by Barnes & Noble College, nominees must be of sophomore eligibility or greater, have a minimum cumulative GPA or 3.20 or greater, be a letterwinner on their team and must be in their second year at the nominating institution. 

Thanks to eligibility waivers provided by the NCAA due to the cancellation of the 2020 season, players who continue to hold freshman eligibility but are in their second season of competition at the nominating institution were eligible for selection to the GNAC All-Academic Team.