Tuesday, July 26, 2022

PORTLAND, Ore. – A total of 34 GNAC student-athletes and teams from eight of the conference’s institutions are being recognized with 2022 academic honors by the U.S. Track and Field & Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

Fourteen men and 19 women were named by the coaches’ organization as Division II Track and Field All-Academic Athletes. Alaska Anchorage, Central Washington, Northwest Nazarene, Saint Martin’s, Seattle Pacific and Western Washington had both their men’s and women’s programs named as All-Academic Teams. Earning selection as women’s All-Academic Teams were Montana State Billings and Simon Fraser.

To be selected as an All-Academic Athlete, a student-athlete must have a 3.25 cumulative GPA on a 4.00 scale, must have completed at least 24 semester hours or 36 quarter hours by the end of the semester and must have achieved a provisional qualify mark for the NCAA Championships during either the indoor or outdoor season. Overall, the program recognized over 400 men and 400 women at the Division II level.

Programs recognized as USTFCCCA All-Academic Teams must have a cumulative GPA of 3.00 or higher, encompassing grades earned by all student-athletes of the institution’s NCAA squad list. Both awards require that the institution’s head coach be a member of the USTFCCCA.

Two GNAC women’s programs ranked among the top 10 of all Division II programs in GPA. Seattle Pacific ranked ninth with a 3.652 GPA, marking the second year that the Falcons were among the top 10. Northwest Nazarene tied for 10th with Winona State with a 3.65 GPA.

The conference’s All-Academic Athletes includes 18 that won GNAC championships either indoors or outdoors. The list includes three-time champions in Alaska Anchorage’s Joshua Wagner (indoor 60-meter hurdles, outdoor 110-meter and 400-meter hurdles), Northwest Nazarene’s Steven Schmidt (indoor heptathlon, outdoor high jump and decathlon), and Simon Fraser’s Alison Andrews-Paul (indoor 800 meters, outdoor 800 and 1,500 meters).

The list includes the GNAC’s Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year in Alaska Anchorage’s Coleman Nash, who was also named the indoor Male Freshman of the Year.

Other GNAC special award winners to be named All-Academic Athletes include Andrews-Paul, who was named the GNAC Female Athlete of the Year for both indoor and outdoor track and field, and Wagner, who was named the Male Athlete of the Year outdoors. Seattle Pacific’s Annika Esvelt was named the Female Freshman of the Year indoors while Schmidt earned the Male Freshman of the Year award outdoors.

USTFCCCA DIVISION II ACADEMIC AWARDS – GNAC PROGRAMS
MEN’S ALL-ACADEMIC TEAMS
Alaska Anchorage, Central Washington, Northwest Nazarene, Saint Martin’s, Seattle Pacific, Western Washington

MEN’S ALL-ACADEMIC ATHLETES
Alaska Anchorage: Coleman Nash, Joshua Wagner
Northwest Nazarene: Steven Schmidt, Tyler Shea, Laurenz Waldbauer
Seattle Pacific: David Njeri
Simon Fraser: Henry Ruckman-Utting, Jordan Schmidt
Western Washington: Mac Franks, Jeret Gillingham, Will Henry, Kevin McDermott, Calahan Warren, Drew Weber

WOMEN’S ALL-ACADEMIC TEAMS
Alaska Anchorage, Central Washington, Montana State Billings, Northwest Nazarene, Saint Martin’s, Seattle Pacific, Simon Fraser, Western Washington

WOMEN’S ALL-ACADEMIC ATHLETES
Alaska Anchorage: Elena Cano
Central Washington: McCall DeChenne, Makenna Hansen, E’lexis Hollis, Meagan Smallbeck
Northwest Nazarene: Julie Cheney, Miya Koch, Kinsey Yenor
Seattle Pacific: Vanessa Aniteye, Lizzy Daugherty, Annika Esvelt, Ellie Rising
Simon Fraser: Alison Andrews-Paul, Erika Binder, Emily Chilton, Diana Voloshin
Western Washington: Mia Crocker, Aliyah Dawkins, Amanda Short