It was recently announced by the U.S. Track & Field Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) that four members of the University of Redlands women's track & field team garnered All-Academic honors. In addition, each program received USTFCCCA All-Academic Team recognition for exceeding the required academic standard.
More than 400 women from 129 NCAA Division III institutions earned this individual award for exceeding the minimum cumulative GPA of 3.3 and either competing at the NCAA Championships or finishing the regular season ranked in the national top 35 in an individual event or the top 25 in a relay.
Junior hurdler Alison Smith (McKinleyville, CA) receives this honor for the second year in a row. This season, she qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships with the seventh-fastest time in all Division III at 14.23 for the 100 Hurdles.
Sophomore Vanessa Blanchard (Palmdale, CA) also repeats as a USTFCCCA All-Academic recipient, following her second-straight appearance at the NCAA Championships. She also garnered All-America honors by finishing tied-for-eighth in the High Jump with a leap of 5' 5 ¼".
Sophomore Mandy Widen (Vail, AZ) and freshman Kara Romani (Sacramento, CA) collect their inaugural such award after landing among the top 35 in their respective events. With a height of 11' 10 ½", Widen finished the 2016 outdoor season ranked 35th, while Romani registered the 24th-best leap in the Long Jump at 18' 7".
With a combined GPA of 3.11, the Redlands men were one of 112 teams to exceed the minimum academic standard to earn All-Academic Team honors. The Bulldog women impressed with a team GPA of 3.56 as one of the highest among the 175 teams to receive this distinction.
For a complete list of the honorees, please visit the USTFCCCA website.