Wednesday, October 6, 2021

PORTLAND, Ore. – The trio of four-time honorees, demonstrating the best on the course and in the classroom, lead 95 selections to the 2021 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Cross Country All-Academic Team, presented by Barnes & Noble College.

Alaska Anchorage senior Felix Kemboi, Saint Martin’s senior Miguel De LaMalena and Seattle Pacific senior Elizabeth Thompson were all named to the team for the fourth time and are among 45 repeat selections to the team.

Kemboi and De LaMalena are back on the course after the COVID-19 pandemic wiped out both schools’ 2020-21 cross country season. The 2019 GNAC cross country champion, Kemboi has a 3.41 GPA as a nursing major. He has competed in all three of Alaska Anchorage’s races this season, led by his fifth-place finish at the Chambers Bay Collegiate Open on October 2.

De LaMalena, who has a 3.61 GPA as a mechanical engineering and mathematics major, is a four-year member of the Saints’ team. A middle-distance specialist during the track and field season, De LaMalena’s cross country season is highlighted by a 39th-place finish at the Ken Garland Classic on September 25.

Thompson, who has a 3.91 GPA as a history major, has been a key part of Seattle Pacific’s successes in cross country over the last four years. She has yet to race during the 2021 season.

A total of 48 men and 47 women were named to the Cross Country All-Academic Team. Twenty of the honorees have GPAs of 3.9 or higher and seven have perfect 4.00 GPAs: Alaska senior Nolan Earnest and freshman Kendall Kramer, Alaska Anchorage junior Jacob Moos and freshman Coleman Nash, Northwest Nazarene sophomore Jordan Woods and Seattle Pacific sophomores Annika Esvelt and Charisma Smith.

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.