According to an announcement made by the U.S. Track & Field Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) late last week, the University of Redlands track & field program has reeled in substantial academic awards for individuals and as a team.  The men and women each earned the status of All-Academic Teams, while nine student-athletes were selected as USTFCCCA All-Academic Individuals.

The Bulldog men's and women's track & field teams each exceeded the minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 to join nearly 300 teams (183 women's and 111 men's) that received this scholarly honor in NCAA Division III.

Individually, seven women and two men from Redlands met the qualifications for this award, which include a cumulative GPA of 3.30 or better, and either competing at the NCAA Indoor or Outdoor Championships or finishing the regular season ranked in the top 50 for an individual event or the top 35 for a relay in NCAA Division III for 2017.

After winning the national title in the 100 Hurdles at the NCAA Outdoor Championships with the fastest time of the season at 13.86, senior Alison Smith (McKinleyville, CA) becomes a three-time honoree for this individual academic accolade.  Junior Vanessa Blanchard (Palmdale, CA) also earns her third such award from the USTFCCAA, with this year's honor coming with the 11th-best Division III mark in the High Jump at 5'7".  She also competed at the national outdoor meet for the second time in her career.

Junior Mandy Widen (Vail, AZ) receives her second-consecutive award from the USTFCCCA by posting a height of 11' 9 ¾" in the Pole Vault to rank 41st in the final national list of the season.  Sophomore Kara Romani (Sacramento, CA) joins her as a repeat recipient with her second nod of her Bulldog career.  This season, she gains the honor after ranking 26th in the Heptathlon with 4,302 points and contributing to the Bulldogs' top 4x100 relays that sit among the top 25 in the nation.  These dynamic quartets also include Smith and first-time All-Academic honorees, senior Jasmine Ramos (Santa Fe Springs, CA) and junior Sophie Brooks (Seattle, WA).

Finally, freshman Gabi Gould (Bellingham, WA) makes her first appearance on the list of USTFCCCA All-Academic Individuals with the 28th-best mark in the Pole Vault at 12' ½". 

On the men's side, the Bulldogs are represented by sophomore Luke Bohlinger (Mercer Island, WA) and junior Wyatt Pannabecker (Choteau, MT) as first-time recipients of this award.  Bohlinger ranks 16th in NCAA Division III for the 100 with his blistering time of 10.64, while Pannabecker posted a leap of 46' 11 ½" in the Triple Jump to sit 34th in the nation.  Bohlinger also competed at his inaugural national outdoor championships earlier this spring.

For a complete list of the men's and women's individual and team recipients, please visit the USTFCCCA website.

For the complete final event rankings, please visit the TFRRS website.