Monday, May 21, 2018

PORTLAND, Ore. – One of the top distances runners in the conference, Central Washington junior Alexa Shindruk not only excelled on the track, but also in the classroom to lead five perfect 4.00 performers and a total of 123 selections to the 2017-18 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Women’s Track and Field All-Academic Team.

Shindruk closed the season with a 4.00 cumulative grade point average in accounting. A qualifier for the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships in the 10,000 meters, Shindruk placed third in the event at the GNAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships. She also placed eighth in the 5,000 meters. During the indoor season, she placed second in the 5,000 meters and third in the 3,000 meters at the GNAC Indoor Track and Field Championships, helping lead the Wildcats to a share of the conference title.

Joining Shindruk with a perfect 4.00 GPA is junior Yvonne Jeschke and sophomore Marie Ries of Alaska Anchorage; sophomore Bethany Danner of Northwest Nazarene and sophomore Kianna Garmanian of Saint Martin’s. The quintet is also among a total of 19 honorees with a GPA of 3.90 or better.

A total of 57 of the Women’s Track and Field All-Academic selections are repeat honorees. Sixteen are three-time selections while one, Western Washington’s Jasmine McMullin, was a four-time selection. The senior ended her career during the indoor season, winning the GNAC title in both the long jump and triple jump and placed fourth at the NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field Championships.

Among the three-time selections is Caroline Kurgat and Tamara Perez of Alaska Anchorage; Ali Anderson and Aiyana Homer of Central Washington; Dalen Richardson of Concordia; Anysja Manzer and Michaela Spoolstra of Northwest Nazarene; Mary Charleson, Becca Houk, Hailey Kettel and Chynna Phan of Seattle Pacific; Alana Mussatto of Simon Fraser; Alecia Falck and Sara Madden of Western Oregon; and Maddy Hutchison, Alexandra Laiblin and Anna Paradee of Western Washington.

The team also includes seven student-athletes who won championships at the GNAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships and eight winners at the GNAC Indoor Track and Field Championships. The champions are led by McCormick, who won the 800 meters both indoors and outdoors and won the national title in the event at the NCAA Division II Indoor Championships, and Kurgat, who won the 5,000 and 10,000 meters outdoors as well as the 3,000 and 5,000 meters indoors.

Central Washington and Northwest Nazarene led teams with 16 selections each while Montana State Billings finished with 14 selections.

To earn selection to the GNAC All-Academic Teams, a student-athlete must be of sophomore standing or higher, must be in their second season of competition at the nominating school and must have a cumulative grade point average of 3.20 or higher.

2017-18 GNAC WOMEN'S TRACK AND FIELD ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM