The University of Redlands' outstanding representation among the various academic awards continues with today's announcement of the 2018 U.S. Track & Field Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic Teams and Individuals.
The Bulldog men's and women's squads each landed among the 291 NCAA Division III selections for All-Academic Teams that exceeded the minimum 3.00 GPA requirement. Among the 106 men's teams to be recognized, the Bulldogs joined forces for a team GPA of 3.28, while the Redlands women registered a collective 3.45 mark as one of 185 programs to be honored.
In addition, 408 men and 627 women received the individual honor for success at the national level while maintaining a cumulative GPA of 3.30 or better. Redlands' 12 individual recipients, which included seven women and five men, either competed at the NCAA Indoor or Outdoor Track & Field Championships or finished the regular season ranked in the top 50 for an individual event or in the top 35 for a relay in NCAA Division III in 2018.
Senior Vanessa Blanchard (Palmdale, CA) garners her fourth nod as a USTFCCCA All-Academic selection. She finished the indoor campaign ranked 19th in the nation in the High Jump with a height of 5' 5" and improved to eighth during the outdoor season at 5' 6 ½". Furthermore, she repeated as an All-American by registering a tied-for-sixth-place effort at 5' 6".
Junior Kara Romani (Sacramento, CA) and senior Mandy Widen (Vail, AZ) reel in this award for the third time in their careers. Romani put together a solid campaign that culminated in the 27th-best mark in Division III for the Heptathlon with 4,409 points. She also ran on one of Redlands' two 4x100 Relays that finished among the top 50. Widen completed her final outdoor season with a school-record height of 12' 4" in the Pole Vault, which placed her 17th in the NCAA Division III rankings. She also produced a mark of 12' ½" during the indoor season to rank 21st.
Senior Sophie Brooks (Seattle, WA) and sophomore Gabriella Gould (Bellingham, WA) represent the Bulldogs among the elite list in back-to-back years. Brooks gains this season's honor as a member of both 4x100 Relays that ranked among the top 50. The faster foursome completed the lap in 47.74 during the Redlands Last-Chance Qualifier. In addition, Gould cleared a height of 11' 5 ¾" in the Pole Vault to rank 44th in the nation and qualify for this award.
First-year Hannah Albrecht (Cottage Grove, OR) and sophomore Chyenne Kimble (Big Bear Lake, CA) each secure their inaugural All-Academic awards to complete the solid showing for the Redlands women's team. Albrecht earned quality times in the sprints but ultimately garnered this recognition as a member of the stellar 4x100 Relays. Kimble enjoyed a breakout second season with the Bulldogs, as she finished the 2018 campaign among the top 50 in the 100 Meters (12.10), 200 Meters (24.86), 100 Hurdles (14.41), and Heptathlon (4,487 points). She earned her second All-America honor by taking seventh in the Heptathlon with 4,566 points at the outdoor championships. In addition, Kimble ran among the Maroon and Gray's top 4x100 Relays.
For the men, senior Wyatt Pannabecker (Choteau, MT) and junior Luke Bohlinger (Mercer Island, WA) haul in their second-consecutive accolades. Pannabecker scored the 19th-best mark in the Triple Jump with a leap of 47' 9 ¾", which landed him first at the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Championships. In an impressive display, he later moved from being the 20th qualifier at the NCAA Outdoor Championships to eighth place in the standings with a career-best mark of 48' 6" for his first All-America nod. Bohlinger impressed in the sprints by ranking second in the 200 Meters (21.08) and third in the 100 Meters (10.43.) among the nation's best. He posted solid results at the NCAA Championships by finishing third in the 200 and fifth in the 100 for a pair of All-America awards. He also contributed to the Bulldogs' two top-20, 4x100 Relays, including the All-America foursome that took sixth at the national meet with a time of 40.971.
Junior Joseph Esparza (Arcata, CA), sophomore Jordan Washecheck (Tulsa, OK), and first-year Tucker Cargile (Denver, CO) gain this scholarly selection for the first time. Esparza fired off a time of 9:16.42 in the 3000 Steeplechase to rank 31st in the country, while Washecheck recorded the 43rd-best time in the 400 Meters at 48.54. Cargile, who was named the SCIAC Newcomer of the Year, uncorked a time of 1:51.44 in the 800 Meters to sit 15th in the Division III rankings.
For a complete list of the USTFCCCA's All-Academic Teams and Individuals, please visit the organization's website.
To view all of the final event rankings, please visit the TFRRS website.