Seven Titans Collect USTFCCCA All-Academic Award
UW-Oshkosh had seven members of its women's track & field team gather All-Academic honors from the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
Named to the organization's NCAA Division III All-Academic Team for the 2019-20 season were UW-Oshkosh's Morgan Florek, Mikayla Jackson, Ashton Keene, Sydney Thompson, Emma Warr and Mikaela Zolecki.
The USTFCCCA honored 477 women from 123 institutions for their academic and athletic accomplishments, including Keene and Zolecki who was recognized for the second straight year.
Florek, a junior, owns a 3.615 cumulative grade point average (GPA) as an elementary education major. The Marinette graduate was seeded 15th in the 20-pound weight throw for the Division III Championship, but that meet was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Her season-best measurement of 57-2 1/4 was recorded at the UW-Oshkosh Titan Challenge held Feb. 22. She ranked 16th nationally because of this mark. Florek finished fifth in the 20-pound weight throw at the WIAC Championship held Feb. 28-29 in Kolf Sports Center.
Jackson possesses a 3.398 cumulative GPA as a freshman biology major. The Neenah High School alumna finished fifth in the 60-meter dash at the WIAC Championship with a season-best time of 7.85 seconds and seventh in the 200-meter dash at 26.19. Her time in the 60-meter dash ranked 45th nationally.
Keene holds a 3.906 cumulative GPA as a senior secondary education and Spanish major. The Pewaukee High School graduate won the 3,000-meter run while finishing second in the 5,000-meter run at the 2020 WIAC Indoor Championship. She defeated 20 other challengers in the 3,000-meter race with her time of 10:18.71. Keene was scheduled to compete in the 5,000-meter run at the 2020 Division III Indoor Championship.
Thompson, a junior, has a 3.937 cumulative GPA as a business major. The Mercer High School graduate ranked 27th nationally with her season-best mark of 43-9 from the UW-Oshkosh Early Bird Invitational on Dec. 7. While at the WIAC Championship, she finish fifth in the shot put with a measurement of 43-5.
A freshman biology major from Muskego, Warr has a 3.938 cumulative GPA. She was seeded 11th in the pole vault for the Division III Championship. She earned the ranking after leaping to a season-best height of 12-3 1/2 at the Carthage College Final Qualifier held March 6. Warr was a second-place finisher at the WIAC Championship.
Zolecki, a senior majoring in special education from Muskego, has achieved a 3.487 cumulative GPA. She placed sixth at the WIAC championship with a mark of 53-9 ¾ in the weight throw. This ranked her 34th in the country.
To qualify for the USTFCCCA's Track & Field All-Academic Team, student-athletes must own a cumulative GPA of at least 3.30 and have either competed in an NCAA Indoor or Outdoor Championship or finished the regular season ranked in the national top 50 of an individual event or in the national top 35 of a relay event on the official NCAA Descending Order list.
There were 11 different programs with 10 or more All-Academic Athletes, led by UW-La Crosse with 24. Others with double-digit honorees were Washington (Mo.) (20), Williams (19), UChicago (16), Wartburg (14), MIT (14), UW-Eau Claire (13), Ithaca (12), Middlebury (12), Johns Hopkins (11) and Loras (10).
The team also received All-Academic Team award for the 2020 NCAA Division III Women's Indoor Track & Field season by the USTFCCCA.
Overall, there were 209 different programs honored for their academic excellence. No program had a better cumulative GPA than Middlebury at 3.84.
In order to be in contention for the All-Academic Team Award, a program have at least a 3.10 cumulative team GPA.
2020 USTFCCCA NCAA Division III Women's Track & Field All-Academic Awards: Individual / Team