Thursday, July 15, 2021

AUSTIN, Texas – A trio of conference champions from May’s GNAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships are being honored for their success on the track and in the classroom with selection to the College Sports Information Directors of America’s (CoSIDA) Academic All-District 8 Women’s Track and Field/Cross Country Team.

Seattle Pacific seniors Scout Cai and Dania Holmberg and Northwest Nazarene senior Bethany Danner are among 11 honorees named to the all-district team, comprised of student-athletes from the GNAC, California Collegiate Athletic Association and PacWest Conferences. It is the second Academic All-District selection for all three athletes.

Cai, who has a 3.72 GPA as an exercise science major, focused on the pole vault in 2021 after spending much of her collegiate career as a combined-event standout. The specialization paid off as Cai set the GNAC record with a clearance of 13 feet, 3 inches at the Buc Scoring Meet on April 30. She went on to win her second consecutive conference title in the event, winning at the GNAC meet with a mark of 12 feet, 3.5 inches and placed 13th at the Division II Outdoor Championships. Cai was named the GNAC Women’s Field Athlete of the Week twice during the course of the season.

Holmberg, who has a 3.91 GPA as a psychology major, was named the GNAC Outdoor Championships Women’s Track Athlete of the Meet after she won both the 1,500 meters (4:27.31) and the 5,000 meters (17:43.57). She went on to place ninth at the NCAA Championships in the 1,500, running a season-best time of 4:25.74. Holmberg also owned the conference’s top time in the 5,000 meters, a 16:57.27 run at the Peyton-Shotwell Invitational on April 23.

One of a handful of athletes to compete in the conference’s truncated cross country season, Holmberg won her first collegiate meet when she ran 22:46.3 for 6,000 meters at the CWU Winter Invite on February 20. She was named the GNAC Women’s Cross Country Athlete of the Week for her performance and was also named the GNAC Women’s Track Athlete of the Week twice during the 2021 season.

Danner, who has a 4.00 GPA as a secondary education major, won the 10,000 meters at the GNAC Championships in a season-best time of 37:09.29 and placed third in the 5,000 meters in a time of 18:13.71. She finished with the conference’s top time in the 10,000 meters and ran the fifth-best time in the 5,000 meters, 18:06.74, at the Team 4 Ely Invitational on March 27.

Nominees for the CoSIDA Academic All-America program must be of sophomore eligibility or greater, must be in their second year at the nominating institution, must be a starter or important reserve for their team and must have a cumulative GPA of 3.30 or greater.

With their selections to the Academic All-District Team, Cai, Holmberg and Danner are now eligible for selection to the Division II Academic All-America Track and Field/Cross Country Team, which will be announced on August 11.